Complicated
by coldnovemberrain
Summary: When you have to choose between good or evil, which side do you take? Set during The Dark Knight Rises. Bruce/OC - Bane/OC
1. Chapter 1

I had this idea for a fanfic when the first TDKR trailer came out and after seeing the movie I decided to start writing it. Please excuse some bad grammar, I'm not a native English speaker. Enjoy and please review!

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Gotham wasn't like she had imagined it, at all. When Scarlett had arrived in the city of the infamous Batman she expected to find everything she ever wanted here, not a neighborhood full of filthy homes which was driven by a corrupt force of criminals. It seemed quite the opposite of what the brochure of Gotham University had promised.

Scarlett had come to Gotham in an attempt to escape her former life. Life on the countryside was not thrilling enough for her, she wanted adventure, she wanted to become something, make something of herself. While browsing on the internet she found the site of Gotham University and found it was almost perfect for her. It had always been her dream to study history and Gotham offered excellent courses.

The apartment was cramped and dusty. It took a while for the lights to come on and it took ages for the water to get to a bearable temperature. Not to mention that the walls were almost rotting because of a leakage in the upper floor. Scarlett made a mental note to inform her landlord about that. It wasn't healthy living in a damp apartment, but she had no idea how to fix it.

She had furnished her apartment with the cheapest furniture she could find. None of the pieces actually matched, but it looked quite cozy. The kitchen was almost falling apart, but it was nothing Scarlett could not fix. The bathroom was equipped with a simple shower, sink and toilet and was in pretty good shape, nothing to be done there.

Even though the apartment looked rather good, it was hard living on a tight budget. Scarlett's parents hadn't supported her in her choice of university and course. They believed she was better suited to be a doctor or an attorney. 'Everyone needs a doctor or a lawyer, no one needs a historian' her father had said when she announced her decision to study history. Even though there was some truth in what her father had said, Scarlett believed that you should do what you love doing, in her case that was not listening to people complaining about a cold, but that was learning about histories of countries she had always dreamed of visiting.

Priority number one was getting some food in her stomach. Scarlett's apartment was in the Narrows, not the best neighborhood to live in. Luckily there was a small grocery store just around the corner, and Scarlett came to find it had all the basics she needed, bread, orange juice and even her favorite brand of peanut butter.

After she ate a healthy portion of bread, it was time for priority number two, getting a job. Scarlett had noticed at the grocery store she had only a few dollar bills left in her wallet. She was prepared to do almost any kind of work, cleaning, construction work, as long as it paid some money. The one problem though, she did not have a lot of experience, frankly she didn't had any experience.

Scarlett had spend most of her life helping on her parents' farm, hardly having any time to study let alone getting a part time job. But now she had to pay for her own education and her own food, which proved to be a lot more costly than she had thought.

The following morning Scarlett decided to check out some of the job offers she saw hanging on a window at the grocery store. She ate just one slice of bread, saving the rest for later. However the offers in the grocery store were a dead end. She needed experience for every single vacancy there was.

Next stop was Downtown Gotham, hoping to find more luck there. Scarlett took the free railway running above the city. She thought the concept of this was wonderful, it made the city look very contemporary.

There was so much difference between downtown and the Narrows, in fact it was almost the complete opposite. Where the Narrows felt somewhat like a modern slum, downtown Gotham felt like a modern paradise. Scarlett could only dream of a television right now, and here they covered whole sides of buildings, broadcasting mainly the local news channel.

After some walking and asking people for directions Scarlett finally found the job centre. It was situated in a building almost twice the size of the grocery store. She hoped she would be more successful here.

Scarlett quickly scanned some of the offers, again they all required some sort of experience. 'Excuse me' she asked politely at shop assistant. 'I have a hard time finding the right job for me' she started once she got the attention of the shop assistant. 'I have little experience you see.' The shop assistant nodded understanding. 'I might just have the thing for you.'

She followed the shop assistant inside his office. He sat down behind his desk and nodded that Scarlett could sit down. It was a lovely office, with family pictures gracing the wall behind him. The shop assistant seemed to have found what he was looking for and printed it for Scarlett. 'Here' he handed Scarlett a paper with a smile.

'Maid?' she asked in disbelief. She had no problem with working as a maid, she rather did this than working in construction or some sort, but why wasn't this advert up with the others? Her eyes scanned the page one more time, but it didn't mention a name. 'For who will I be working for?' The shop assistant grinned, 'Bruce Wayne' he told her.


	2. Chapter 2

So far I really like writing this story! Please review and enjoy reading :)

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The Wayne Manor was one of the most beautiful buildings Scarlett had ever seen. Unlike the modern city centre of Gotham, the Wayne Manor looked very old, but yet very elegant. The building seemed to belong more on the English countryside, than in the nearby city, but nevertheless it was very lovely.

Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred had opened the door for her, once she actually had located the doorbell. 'Hello, Scarlett' he greeted her with a smile. As Scarlett stepped through the door and got actually inside the Wayne Manor, she was struck in awe. It was even more beautiful on the inside than on the outside. A large staircase dominated the hall and antique was scattered everywhere.

'We could really use more help' Alfred explained. They walked towards the main sitting room, at least that's what Scarlett thought. The manor was so big undoubtedly it had more than one sitting rooms. 'Well, I could use some more help' he continued. 'I'm not getting younger you see.'

The next hour or so Alfred explained all that she had to do, mainly cleaning work which Alfred couldn't do anymore because of his age. _This is definitely better than working in construction_, Scarlett thought. She received such a warm welcome from Alfred and her salary wasn't bad, it wasn't bad at all. Alfred had even offered to make her some breakfast since it was so early, but she had refused and told him she could make it herself, he was her boss, not her butler. Alfred had laughed and stated that actually Bruce was her boss.

Scarlett didn't mind cleaning in this place, there was so much to see and each room needed to be dusted every day. Scarlett also told Alfred that she was quite handy and she could also fix things around the house if necessary. 'If I find something, I'll come and find you then' Alfred had said.

While Scarlett started on the front living room, Alfred prepared breakfast for Master Wayne. She wondered when she would meet him, she had heard a lot about him. She continued dusting all the treasures in the room. So far she had come across very old china, pots and even silverware which seemed to be at least a few decades old.

After she was done with dusting, she vacuum cleaned the whole room. That proved to be a lot more tiring than she thought since the room was quite big. After that she gave the window some thorough cleaning since they were filthy. Once she was finished the first room, almost twenty more rooms were waiting for her.

The manor started looking better and better with each room she cleaned. The manor deserved to be shining, not covered in dust. After she finished half of the first floor she decided to take a break and make some lunch. It had taken her all morning to do only half of the floor, which wasn't even that bad considering the size of each room.

While eating her sandwich Scarlett noticed a beautiful painting, it looked like a Monet, a real one. She was completely enchanted by its beauty, but she noticed it was hanging wonky. Quickly she finished her sandwich and went to search for a ladder.

Scarlett found a ladder in a cupboard under the big staircase. _Even this cupboard is bigger than my apartment…_ She carried the ladder to where she had seen the painting and placed the ladder next to it. Steadily she climbed the ladder. _Do not look down, do not look down_. The ladder was very wobbly when she reached the top. _Do not look down_ she repeated in herself. With one hand clutching the ladder, she reached her other hand to hang the painting correct.

When she climbed down she noticed that still it wasn't hanging correctly, it was hard to judge when you where on top of the ladder. She had to climb the ladder again. This time she had a little more confidence and she climbed the ladder swiftly. Scarlett made sure that this time she would hang the painting correct, as she was not going up here again.

As she reached out her hand to adjust the placement of the painting she suddenly started to lose her balance. Quickly she pulled her arm back in, but it was too late. With a smack both her and the ladder fell down on the floor. Immediately Scarlett felt a pain rushing through her ankle. _You have got to be kidding me_, she thought. Her ankle was hurting even more when she tried to stand up. Scarlett hoped that nobody had heard her fall, it would be quite awkward explaining such a dumb accident.

With the ladder under her arm, Scarlett limped to the cupboard, and softly put it back on it's place. _Well, at least the painting was hanging right…_ After she put away the ladder she limped towards the kitchen in search of the first-aid kit.

Like in most homes it was located in a cabinet above the kitchen counter, and lucky for Scarlett it was stocked up with loads of bandages. She wasn't exactly experienced with bandaging a sprained ankle but she would figure something out.

Freshly bandaged, Scarlett started on the other rooms. It went a lot slower since she wasn't able to stand on her ankle for very long. She wasn't going to be able to do the second floor, but hopefully Alfred didn't mind, as she did get a lot done. Alfred had been busy in the garden all day, it was his pride and joy, he had told her. Scarlett was happy she didn't have to do the garden, she probably had to mow it some time, but she didn't had the patience to take care of delicate flowers.

Since she was done for the day Scarlett began to put away all the cleaning equipment she had used, most of them went back under the cupboard but a few of them belonged in another cupboard in the hallway.

'What did you do with your ankle' a low-pitched voice said. Scarlett turned around to see who it was, as the voice definitely didn't belong to Alfred. As she turned around she found the one and only Bruce Wayne behind her. _How long had he been standing there?_ Scarlett could only wonder. 'Master Bruce' she said surprised. 'I fell of a ladder' Scarlett did not expect to meet her boss this way, it was quite embarrassing. Bruce raised his eyebrows. 'I wanted to hang a painting correct' Scarlett explained.

A soft smile emerged on Bruce's face. 'Who bandaged it?' He pointed towards the amateurish bandages covering her ankle.

'I did' Scarlett answered.

'I figured' Bruce replied, smiling.

Scarlett stared down at her ankle, did she bandage it that bad? 'I don't fall from ladders very often'

'Come here' Bruce said, walking in the direction of the kitchen, well, one of the kitchens. Scarlett followed him, not really sure what he was planning to do. Bruce reached for the cabinet and took the very same first-aid kit as Scarlett had used before.

'You don't have to replace them, the bandages are fine' Scarlett said once she realized what he wanted to do. 'It doesn't hurt as much as it did before' she reassured him.

'Sure' Bruce said mockingly.

Even though Scarlett didn't want to, she sat down on one of the chairs in the large kitchen. Bruce kneeled in front of her and took her foot on his lap, carefully examining it as he pulled off the bandage.

'It doesn't look too bad' he said, once he got to get a closer look of the injury.

'That's why my bandage was perfectly fine' Scarlett replied.

Bruce looked at Scarlett, with an 'are-you-serious' look covering his face.

He got some fresh bandages out of the kit and started bandaging Scarlett's foot, the proper way. Scarlett had to admit, the bandages looked a lot better and felt a lot better once Bruce was done.

'Done' he smiled as he placed the first-aid kit back in the cabinet.

'Thanks' Scarlett said and looked at her watch and noticed it was well past 6. 'I have to go, the bus is leaving in a few minutes.'

Suddenly the room felt very uncomfortable and awkward, she didn't really know how she should say goodbye to her boss, who just bandages her ankle. Not the mention he was also the richest person in Gotham.

'You'll never reach the bus in time' Bruce said quite amused.

Scarlett had to take the bus first and then the train to the Narrows. Luckily for her the public transport in Gotham was free. She was not so lucky when she found out that the bus towards the area where Wayne Manor was only left each couples of hours.

Bruce was right, Scarlett realized when she saw she only had a few minutes before the bus left. Normally she could run, but right now running was out of the question.

'Then I'll wait another hour' she replied. 'Or maybe three…'

'I'll bring you' Bruce was still amused knowing she had to say yes.

'No, I'll wait, I still have some more rooms to clean anyway'

Bruce playfully raised an eyebrow.

'Okay, you win' Scarlett sighed.

Somehow Scarlett got the impression Bruce always got his way.

Scarlett had no idea that Wayne Manor also had a gigantic garage. She had seen the Rolls Royce outside, she figured that was the only car they owned, but boy was she wrong. There were at least 5 cars inside the garage, most of them she had only seen in fancy car magazines which her dad had owned.

And of course, Bruce took the most extravagant car he owned, the Lamborghini.

'Really?' Scarlett said. She figured a Lambo wasn't exactly the best car to go to the Narrows. The only cars people in the Narrows owned were all secondhand and falling apart. 'Don't you have a Prius or something?'

Bruce opened the car door for her, and Scarlett stepped inside the car. Carefully she placed herself on the car seat, making sure she didn't scratch the leather.

'So, where are we heading' Bruce asked while he started the engine of the Lamborghini.

'The Narrows' she replied.


	3. Chapter 3

It was quite awkward, getting out of a brand new Lamborghini in the middle of the Narrows. 'Don't fall down the staircase' Bruce had said when Scarlett was getting out of the car. She had thanked him for driving her home, 'even though I could've waited on the bus' she had added.

The following morning Scarlett had to be at Wayne Manor at 9 o'clock sharp, a couple of hours later than yesterday. She hoped it wouldn't get too uncomfortable after yesterday, she wasn't going to let Bruce bring her home again.

This time Scarlett needed to clean the rooms on the second floor. Thankfully the second floor had less rooms than the first floor. _I'm definitely not going to climb any ladders today_. She had pulled the bandages off this morning. Her ankle didn't hurt as much as it had done before, and besides, Scarlett didn't want to look weak.

'Good morning' Scarlett greeted when she saw Alfred preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

'Hello, Scarlett.' Alfred pointed to the pancakes he was making, 'Would you also like one? I always make a lot more than I should.'

The pancakes did look really good and Scarlett hadn't really eaten this morning. 'How could I say no to that?' she said with a smile. Also it wasn't like Alfred was going to accept no for an answer.

'So I heard about your little fall yesterday' Alfred smiled while Scarlett was eating her pancakes.

'Bruce told you? Scarlett sighed. _Does everyone has to know that?_

Alfred nodded. 'How did you like the Lamborghini?'

'Let's just say I prefer the public transport'

It was true, the Lamborghini was so fast, although Scarlett did think Bruce drove so fast on purpose. Besides, the Lambo was also a very low car, and it was hard getting in and getting out of it.

Quickly Scarlett finished her pancakes (which were really really good). 'I better get started' she said, hoping to escape Alfred's questioning.

She cleaned the rooms pretty much the same way as she did yesterday, dusting, vacuum cleaning, washing, you name it. Except this time she wasn't going to bother with hanging paintings right, it will be a long time before she will touch that ladder again. Her ankle wasn't really bothering her now, she was too busy cleaning to notice the throbbing. It only hurt when she stood on one feet, so she tried to avoid that.

However Scarlett did encounter one problem; she was cleaning bedrooms and one of these bedrooms was going to be Bruce's bedroom. But of course no one had told her which one was Bruce's, and if she even was allowed to enter.

This time Scarlett had brought her iPod, the one thing of value that she actually owned. Cleaning went by a lot faster and it made it more fun while listening to music. She had now finished three bedrooms, and was about the start on the fourth one.

Softly she opened the door, at least she thought, as she was listening to her iPod and couldn't really hear anything else. Scarlett dragged the vacuum cleaner behind her and plugged it in the socket in the wall. The downside to listening to music while cleaning is that you spend more time dancing than actual cleaning.

Scarlett turned around to see if the bedding needed changing.

'Oh' she said when she had turned around and found Bruce sitting on the bed.

'Nice dance' he smirked.

'You really need to stop sneaking up on people' Scarlett quickly pulled her head phones out of her ear.

'I was already here when you entered, so technically I was not sneaking up on you' Bruce said amused.

Now Scarlett got to take a closer look at him. Bruce wasn't wearing a shirt, just some sweatpants Bruce's body was well toned, very well toned, his arms and abs were extremely muscular. His upper body was covered in scars. And not just one scars, she could count at least ten big ones, and Scarlett was sure he had more of them.

'You have a lot of scars' she pointed out. Scarlett herself only had a few scars from when she fell of her horse back on the farm. She had never seen someone with so many scars as Bruce had. Somehow the scars really suited him, and they were quite hot actually.

'I like extreme sports, such as base jumping' he told her, still amused.

'Sure' Scarlett said disbelieving while raising an eyebrow. No one gets that many scars from base jumping. Whatever it was Bruce got these scars from Scarlett felt that she didn't even want to know.

'Could you at least put on a shirt?' Scarlett asked, she felt rather uncomfortable with Bruce being half naked and him being her boss.

'Why, is this bothering you?' he asked while looking at himself.

'No… no' Scarlett defended, 'you look amazing, but, it's just that it's quite inappropriate, with you being my boss.'

She tried making up excuses, but she couldn't really get around the fact that his muscular body and those scars were a big turn on.

'So you admit that I look good?'

Scarlett sighed, how was she going to talk herself out of this?

'Bruce…' Scarlett said. 'You're my boss'

'Ok, you're right' Bruce said, suddenly serious, although Scarlett doubted whether it was real. 'It's totally inappropriate.''

Bruce stood up, walking closer towards Scarlett.

'But I do need your help with something' he said.

'Sure, whatever you need' Scarlett said, expecting another cleaning task.

'There is this movie premiere tonight' Bruce started. 'And I need you to be my personal assistant'

Scarlett certainly didn't see that one coming. She had no experience as a personal assistant and personally thought that they were a bit unnecessary. But Bruce still wasn't wearing a shirt and it was hard to say no to him.

'Okay…' she replied, 'but I have no experience as a personal assistant'

'I'm sure you will do perfectly fine' he said placing his hands on her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. After a few second he let go of her and went to pick something up behind him.

'Wear this' Bruce said while he handed Scarlett a big box before walking away.

* * *

This time Scarlett reached the bus in time. She had set off a few minutes early so she would make sure she wouldn't miss it. Besides, she finished the whole manor today, so she didn't think Bruce and Alfred would mind.

With the large box under her arm she hopped on the bus, getting some strange looks from the passengers. To be honest she hadn't looked inside the box yet, she expected something like black pants and a neat blouse, she couldn't show up in her maid outfit and she didn't had anything formal in her closet.

When Scarlett got home she placed the box on her bed and immediately went on to study. She had some big exams coming up and the long days she was making weren't really helping. The plus side of those long days was that she was earning very good money lately.

Bruce had texted that he was going to pick her up at 8 o'clock. She didn't exactly know how he got her number in the first place, but she texted him back that 8 o'clock would be fine. Although she did wonder whether it should be her job as personal assistant to pick him up, not the other way around.

She figured she would need about half an hour to get ready, so after a few hours of studying it was time to try on the clothes Bruce gave her. Scarlett walked towards her bedroom and opened the large box. It was only now when she noticed the logo in the top of the box: Valentino.

'You have got to be kidding me' Scarlett whispered.

Quickly she took off the lid of the box, revealing a beautiful red dress inside. Scarlett held the dress up to take a closer look. The dress was a perfect shade of red, Valentino red. It had a halter and a large slit on the bottom. It seemed like a dress straight out of Marilyn Monroe's closet, but Scarlett couldn't wear this.

First of all it wasn't something personal assistants wore, even Scarlett knew that. And secondly it was way too expensive to wear, god knows how much a dress like this costs.

After digging through her closet Scarlett came to the conclusion that she had to wear the dress, she had nothing else to wear. She did wonder what Bruce was up to.

Scarlett pulled on the dress and it fit her perfectly. _How does Bruce know all this stuff, first the number and now my clothing size?_ She wore her hair in soft curls and painted her lips the exact same red. She still didn't know what Bruce's plan was, but if he wanted her to look the part, she could at least try.

At 8 o'clock sharp Scarlett heard the honking of a car. Of course Bruce wasn't going to leave his car in this neighborhood, if you did it would get stolen right away.

Scarlett put some extra mascara on and took her clutch which had came with the dress. She wondered which car Bruce had taken because the engine didn't sound like the Lamborghini.

She walked outside to find a red Ferrari, perfectly matching her dress. Scarlett rolled her eyes, _this is crazy_. Bruce was leaning against the hood of the car, waiting for her to come outside. Scarlett decided it was best wait until she was inside the car before she said a thing.

'You look beautiful' Bruce said with a grin as he opened the door for her, this time the doors went open the normal way, instead of going up like the doors of a Lamborghini.

They had pulled a lot of stares in the neighborhood, people were standing on their balconies and stopped on the street to see what was going on. It wasn't often that Bruce Wayne came by in a Ferrari to pick up a girl who looked like a movie star.

Scarlett ignored the comment Bruce just made and stepped inside the car, the dress making it even harder to get in.

'I'm not really sure personal assistants wear Valentino dresses' Scarlett remarked when Bruce got in the driver's seat.

'Sure they do, you like great' Bruce replied, focusing on the road.

Scarlett rolled her eyes, this was going to be a very interesting evening.


	4. Chapter 4

Another chapter! Next chapter will feature Bane, I promise! Enjoy and please review

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The crowd at the movie première was enormous. It seemed like millions of people had turned up to see the movie. To be honest Scarlett had no idea to which movie she would be going to but it turned it was the new Brad Pitt movie, so she couldn't complain. Still Bruce hadn't told her anything about what her job was going to be for the next couple of hours.

When they hit the red carpet Scarlett was absolutely star struck. There were so many celebrities around her she didn't know where to look. 'If you said I was going to walk the red carpet I had styled my hair better' Scarlett muttered at Bruce.

He had taken her by his arm and led her over the red carpet. 'Don't worry, your hair looks fine' he reassured her. Scarlett was completely blinded by the flashing light bulbs, but it felt nice feeling like a celebrity one time and not like a tramp or a maid.

Once they got inside there were so many people trying to get Bruce's attention. Scarlett just tagged along beside him, not really sure what to do and how to act. Before the movie started there was a chance for everyone to catch up and have a drink. Scarlett quickly snatched champagne of a table, hoping this night would end soon because she felt really out of her comfort zone.

'Bruce!' someone who knew Bruce personally greeted him. Scarlett recognized his face but she could not place it. Luckily Bruce quickly introduced her to the man. 'Scarlett, this is Lucius' he began. 'And Lucius, this is my date, Scarlett.'

Scarlett shook hands with Lucius before she realized what Bruce just said. _Date? _Scarlett turned to Bruce, raising her eyebrows. She then turned to Lucius and said 'Excuse us for a minute' before dragging Bruce away.

'Did you just say that I'm your date?' Scarlett whispered loud enough for Bruce to hear.

'I don't know, did I?' Bruce replied.

'You could've just asked me instead making up a lame excuse'

'But where is the fun in that' Bruce took Scarlett's arm and started walking towards the floor where people were dancing.

'Come on, let's dance'

Scarlett knew she stood no chance against him and decided to go along with it.

She placed her hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand. Bruce's other hand rested at her waist. Slowly they started to move on the rhythm of the music. Secretly, Scarlett was enjoying this as much as Bruce was.

'I really should be studying right now' Scarlett said.

'You probably should, yeah' Bruce replied, not breaking the eye contact.

'You're not really making me feel better'

'Maybe I can make you feel better in some other way'

Suddenly Bruce was moving closer to Scarlett, their bodies now touching. He started to lean closer to her and she couldn't help herself. Bruce looked incredibly handsome tonight and he had been nothing but nice to her, well, not always, but that just a matter of opinion.

Butterflies went through Scarlett's stomach as their lips met. Right now at this moment she felt so comfortable with Bruce, forgetting all the famous people around her. She didn't care about them staring, about them gossiping, right now she cared just about Bruce.

Just as Scarlett thought _this is too good to be true_ Bruce's phone went off. They broke off their kiss and Scarlett sighed. 'Couldn't you turned it off?' She laughed.

'I really need to take this' Bruce said after checking the caller-ID and he put the phone to his ear. 'I'm sorry' he mouthed while walking away from her.

'Wait, you are not going to leave me here alone with these people?' Scarlett exclaimed maybe a little too loud, but Bruce had already vanished behind one of the marble columns in the room.

_That call better be very important_.

Scarlett looked around her. That moment of security and bliss she just had was completely vanished. She didn't know anyone of the people in the room and the movie was just about to start. She was just a student, standing between rich people and celebrities, she definitely felt like the odd one out.

'So, how exactly do you know Mr. Wayne?' Lucius asked. Scarlett was very glad he had come to talk to her. At least now she didn't look like a complete loner.

'He's my boss' Scarlett replied with a guilty smile. It did sound a lot worse than it actually was. As far as she was concerned it was Alfred who was her boss and not Bruce.

'Oh' Lucius grinned.

'It's a long story…'

* * *

The movie was about halfway done and Scarlett had only caught about half of it. Bruce hadn't come back after the call and Scarlett had mixed feelings. She was angry for first kissing her and then suddenly leaving her alone. She felt used, and she was sure Bruce had not meant it that way. But she was also worried, worried sick. What was so important that he couldn't come back to tell her?

When the movie was over there still wasn't a sign of Bruce. Fortunately she had some spare change in her clutch, which was hopefully enough for a taxi drive home.

She had said goodbye to Lucius and thanked him, he had accompanied her the rest of the evening, and reassured her that Bruce would be fine and he probably had some business to attend at Wayne Enterprises, but somehow Scarlett had a bad feeling about this.

As this was a big event there were several taxis waiting outside. Scarlett chose the first one she saw and hopped in. 'The Narrows' she told the taxi driver.

The driver turned around to take a better look at Scarlett. 'What does a girl like you gotta do in the Narrows?' he asked.

Scarlett rolled her eyes, she wasn't in the mood for this, couldn't he just mind his own business?

'Let's say I had a date with someone who clearly had more important things to do'

The driver wanted to say something back but Scarlett quickly shut him up by giving him a very dirty look, she just wanted to go home.

After about a twenty-minute drive they arrived at her apartment block. She paid the taxi driver and got out of the vehicle, this time making a much more graceful exit because of the car's height.

The taxi driver drove his car away while Scarlett searched for the keys in her clutch. As she was about to walk upstairs she heard suspicious voices behind her.

'She looks quite hot' the first man said.

'Yeah, he'll like her' the second man replied.

Scarlett could hear multiple voices chuckling. Where they talking about her? She decided not to check out who exactly those people where and she started walking upstairs, but she could hear the men footsteps closing in on her.

She started walking in a faster pace, still acting like she hadn't overheard them talking. _This is not good, not good at all…_ The heels were restricting her speed, but she still tried to climb the stairs as fast as she could, her apartment being all the way on the fifth floor.

'Hey honey pie, wait up!' one of the voices said.

They were definitely talking to her. Scarlett started to breath faster and started to panic a little. What did they wanted from her? She didn't have any money?

'Come on now, don't make it harder than it has to be!'

Their footsteps were coming dangerously close now, but Scarlett could already see her apartment. As fast as she could she walked towards her door and started unlocking her door.

'Gotcha!'

A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders roughly, gripping tight.

'I don't have any money, I really don't' Scarlett cried.

'It isn't your money we want' another one smirked.

'Look at that beauty, this is a gem we found here'

Scarlett wasn't sure if they were talking to her or to each other, every sound seemed to fade.

Even though she was panicking she was trying to think of a way to escape, but she came to the conclusion that there was no way she could fight of five men.

'Let's go' the one who held her said, almost pushing her down the stairs.

Was she being kidnapped, were they going to rape her in the back of an alley? Was there no one who could hear her shout?

Scarlett shouted as loud as she could "HELP!' she yelled, but she got no response apart from the man who was holding her, almost crushing her arm at each sound she made. She tried to break loose, but she couldn't break loose of the grip of the man.

A white van was waiting for her outside, one extra man behind the wheels of the car. _I have never trusted those white vans_.

A man nodded towards Scarlett that she had to enter the car. She didn't respond and looked the other way, acting like she didn't hear what he said. Unfortunately it didn't leave much of an impression as they picked her up and dropped her in the van.

She wasn't the only one in the back, not only were there the men who kidnapped her, but there were also some other girls, all around her age. Scarlett looked at the girls who all lied down of the floor, looking even more afraid than she was. Suddenly she felt really ridiculous in her glamorous dress. _If only I stayed at the theatre and waited until Bruce was back, then none of this would have happened_. It was too late for wondering what could have happened if she had acted otherwise, this what was happening right now was very bad and she needed to find a way out, even though it was practically impossible…

It was hard to imagine the bliss she had felt before now that she was locked up in a van with a bunch of strangers she never met, only imagining the stuff that they were going to do to her and the other girls.

'Enjoy the ride' one of them said before closing the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Finally some Bane! It was hard writing Bane as I only have seen the movie once, I hope I have kept him in-character. Enjoy and review!

* * *

It was hard to tell how long they had been driving or even to where they had been driving. There were no windows in the back of the van and it was hard to keep a track of time. The girls had stopped sobbing and one of them had even fallen asleep. _How can they sleep in this situation?_ Scarlett was trying to stay alert all the time, but her body screamed that she needed to sleep. With difficulty she tried to keep her eyes open, shifting positions every so often in order to stay awake.

Scarlett could feel the vehicles descending, where they heading underground? Suddenly the vehicle came to a halt, launching everyone in the back. The guys who were in the front of the car opened the door of the van, forcing everyone out.

Finally Scarlett could get a good of where they were. The car had parked in a large underground garage. There were a lot of cars parked, most of them vans and simple 4x4s, but Scarlett also saw a very strange tank looking vehicle. It reminded her of something, but she didn't know what.

One of the men gave her a push in her back, indicating that she should start walking. Scarlett looked at the other girls, she could now count 5 of them and she still had no clue what they were going to with all of them, including her.

As they ascended the stairs it became clear where they actually were. _A prison_. Scarlett could see various signs indicated where each cell block was, the wards and even the visitors entrance. _I doubt I'll get any visitors here…_

They stopped at the first floor, having climbed several stairs. They entered Cell Block B and all the girls were put in one cell. 'We'll be back' one of the men had grinned and Scarlett had no doubt about that.

She was starting to realize that they were not going to kill her, at least not yet. If they wanted her dead they would have killed her in the Narrows. They wanted something from her and the other girls, but she was not sure what.

'They will eat you alive in here, girl'

Scarlett turned her body around to see who was talking to her. One of the girls who had been locked up with her had spoken. She had bleach blonde hair, and wore little to nothing.

'What do you mean?'

'Don't you know why they grabbed us?'

Scarlett shook her head, she had no idea why they had grabbed them. She thought they were going to rob her, not kidnap her. Scarlett had never seen these men and these girls before, of course she had no idea what was going on.

'We'll be their little toys' Blondie replied, sounding like she was on drugs.

'Toys?'

'They will do with us what they like, whenever they like and where they like' Blondie continued.

'And if you're lucky you'll get to meet the big boss'

The courage Scarlett had, had disappeared. They kidnapped her and then expected her to be a whore for them? She definitely had to find a way out of here, but there were guards everywhere.

'Who's that' Scarlett asked, if she could reach that supposed 'big boss' maybe she could find a way out of here. She could tell them they made a mistake or something.

'Me'

The voice that just said that send shivers up Scarlett's spine. It was unlike any voice she had ever heard. It was terrifying.

Scarlett's eyes widened upon the sight of this 'Big Boss'. He was a beast, she had never seen anyone with such huge muscles. He towered over everyone, but that wasn't the most intimidating thing about him. Half of his face was covered with a horrifying mask, almost looking like a giant spider which has crawled out of his mouth. His eyes were almost the only part of his face not covered, and they screamed terror. He scared her, he probably scared everyone here.

_I guess escaping is not really part of my plan anymore, my plan must be surviving this place._

She figured that at least someone was looking for all these missing girls? There were probably even more of them… Was Bruce looking for her? She had to work today, maybe Alfred called where she was and found that there was no one in her apartment. But she didn't even know where Bruce was after he disappeared last night, he could be dead for all she knew. _I have no hope…_

'You did well' the 'big boss' said to the men who kidnapped her.

Again his voice gave Scarlett chills.

The 'Boss' turned to the girls locked up in the cell. He scanned each of them with his eyes.

'What's your name?' he asked Scarlett after his eyes rested on her for a long time.

Still she was wearing that stupid red dress, what she would give right now for a pair of jeans.

'What's yours' Scarlett snapped back. She started doubting if she even wanted to live, this place a living hell and besides, there was probably no one looking for her and frankly she had nothing to lose.

Suddenly the cell opened and one of the men stepped inside, giving Scarlett a hard slap on her face.

'You don't ask the questions' he warned.

Scarlett could feel her cheek glowing on the spot where the man had hit her_. _

'My name is Bane' the big boss answered, completely ignoring the man who had just slapped her.

The name Bane fitted him perfectly, a terrifying name for a terrifying man.

Bane raised his eyebrows, expecting an answer from Scarlett.

'Riley' she told him. It was the first name she could think of, she didn't know exactly why she didn't give her real name but it could be of help if they decided to check her background in the future. It could buy her some time.

'And why exactly are you dressed like a movie star, Riley?'

'I had a date' Scarlett said honestly. No point about lying.

Bane chuckled.

'Well, you now have a date with one of these men.'

'And what about you?' Bane turned to the girl opposite of Blondie. She looked young, probably no more than 17 years old. Her dark hair was up in a messy bun and her makeup had run all over her face from the crying.

The girl didn't respond and started sobbing again. _Do not show you're weak_. Scarlett felt such pity for the girl, she knew that girl wouldn't get out of here alive.

All Bane had to do is nod and his men knew what they had to do.

They entered the cell and grabbed the girl and brought her to Bane. As they entered Scarlett moved back further in the cell, she wasn't sure if she wanted to see this.

'I asked you a question, sweetheart'

The girl couldn't look Bane in the eye like Scarlett had done.

'Her name is Alex' Scarlett spoke up from the back of the cell.

Everyone turned to her. _Dear god, what have I done? _Scarlett stood up, lifting her head to show she wasn't afraid, but deep down she had never been more scared.

The man who had slapped her before pushed her back on the ground.

'What did I tell you about not talking unless you are spoken to?' he yelled at her.

'Technically you said I couldn't ask questions, and I didn't'

_What was wrong with me, I'm going to get myself killed_.

Bane laughed softly at the whole debacle.

'I like her' he pointed in Scarlett's direction.

'Bring her to me after you are done with them'

Alex was thrown back into the cell and the cell was locked up again.

Scarlett could feel her hands shake, but she tried hiding it. The girls all looked up to her with admiration. But Alex didn't even look at her. _So much for saving her life_…

Bane left them, followed by two of his men, acting like his bodyguard. _As if he needs a bodyguard…_

'Now' the man who had slapped her began.

'Let's get this party started'


	6. Chapter 6

I really hope that I can keep the rating T, so I will try and do my best! Enjoy and again, review please! :)

* * *

The door slammed open as they dragged Scarlett in the room, her hands handcuffed behind her back. Her red dress had come off, now revealing her underwear. Scarlett's face was all battered and bruised, her mouth covered in blood.

'That bitch bit me!' A guy who turned out to be called Bill, said.

Bane sighed and stood up from his chair. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but like always he had his mask on.

Bill showed Bane the wound on his arm. The bite mark was very deep, Scarlett had bit him as hard as she could. Did they really thought she was just going to let them do with her as they liked?

When Bill had chosen her, he accompanied her to his cell. Each of Bane accomplishes had their own cell. They covered the entrance of the cell with a large white cloth. This kept people from staring at you while you were doing your thing, but sadly it didn't block out the noise. Scarlett had heard Alex cry in the cell next to her, but Scarlett had more confidence than her.

As Bill climbed on top of her she had seized the chance and bit him as hard as she could in his arm. Blood was streaming out of his arm and into Scarlett's mouth. It was disgusting, but it did prevent Bill raping her. It was a small price to pay.

'You let yourself get bit buy a girl?' Again Bane's voice made Scarlett shiver, it would take some time to get used to it.

'Well… I didn't see it coming!' Bill defended.

Scarlett couldn't help but smirk. It was actually quite funny when you thought about.

Bill had cried out in pain when Scarlett bit him, immediately alarming the people in the other cells. The act Scarlett had pulled didn't go unpunished, they had beaten her up until her face was all bloody.

'I'm not sure whether I find this funny, or whether I'm angry' Bane said.

He started walking towards Bill, looking him straight in the eye.

'You think you've felt pain?'

Bane twisted Bill's arm on his back, if he pushed his arm just an inch further he would've broken it.

'You have felt _nothing_'

This time Bane twisted the arm further, causing it to break with a loud snap. Scarlett jumped a little at the sound of the bone breaking.

The loud snap was followed by a loud cry of pain.

'Take him away' Bane said, nodding towards Bill.

Scarlett took a deep breath, hoping the same wouldn't happen to her.

'Leave us' Bane added once Bill was taken away.

Bane moved behind Scarlett, who was still sitting on the floor. With ease he took off the hand cuffs.

'You enjoy biting people in your spare time? Bane asked her.

It felt good having the handcuffs come off. Scarlett rubbed her wrists, which were bloody because the handcuffs had been way too tight.

_I look like a mess_, she thought. A few hours ago she looked like a movie star, now she looked almost dead.

'Not really…' Scarlett replied.

'Sit' Bane pointed to two chairs, standing opposite of each other.

Scarlett stood up and sat down on the one which was the most close to her. When she stood up she hadn't realized how bad her head actually hurts. She crossed her legs when she sat down, suddenly very conscious about the fact that she was sitting here half naked and bloody. She didn't know which one bothered her more.

'Why did you stand up for that girl?' Bane asked when he had sat down opposite of Scarlett. 'Alex…'

To be honest Scarlett didn't know that herself. She had felt the sudden urge to protect her, but she also regretted doing it. Alex hadn't said anything to her afterwards and it seemed to bring her nothing but misery.

'I'm not sure…' Scarlett replied. 'She's so young…'

She hoped that Alex could make it out of here, and preferably not inside a body bag. She was so young, she hadn't even started living her life yet.

'Who are you anyway?' Scarlett surprised herself. Sometimes she wish she'd just think once before talking.

'I'm Gotham's reckoning' Bane replied.

_Reckoning? This didn't sound good…_

'And who were you before we employed you?'

'If you are employing me, you are seriously underpaying me'

Bane chuckled darkly.

'If you prove yourself when can have a talk about that'

It was very hot in Bane's residency, even if she wasn't wearing really anything. He stayed inside what looked like the warden's office. This was sure a lot nicer than sharing a cell with five other people…

Scarlett wiped the sweat of her forehead with the back of her hand. She brushed just past her eyebrow and realized it was still bleeding. Suddenly she was worried about that it might needed to be stitched.

'And with proving yourself that includes not biting anyone anymore'

Scarlett rolled her eyes, he couldn't expect that she wouldn't try to defend herself?

'Unless they ask for it' Bane added.

'Can I clean my face' Scarlett asked dryly.

Bane blinked a couple of times and raised his eyebrows.

'Please'

Scarlett did her best not to sound annoyed, but she was. She was annoyed with this place and with Bane. She wasn't their doll they could just do with what they wanted. Bane talked about proving herself, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

Bane nodded towards a door in the back of the room, indicating that it was a bathroom of some sorts.

Slowly Scarlett stood up from the chair, her head pounding, and walked to the bathroom. Inside she found a dirty towel, but she decided to use it anyway. She made it wet under the tap and carefully cleaned the wounds on her face. Most of them were bruises but she had two deep cuts, one along her cheek and the other just under her eyebrow. She hoped these wouldn't turn into scars, _I don't want any scars in my face_… Lastly, she cleaned up the blood around her mouth. That already made a huge difference, now she didn't look like a zombie, but just a beat-up person.

_I could cut my wrists and be done with it_. The mirror looked very tempting. It could easily be shattered to pieces. Scarlett stared at herself in the mirror and pushed the thought way. _Scarlett stop it, I can't let this place change me, I must stay sane_.

'I'm done' Scarlett said when she got out of the bathroom. Bane had moved behind one of the computers in the room, displaying some sort of video feed.

'Can I go now?' she added.

'Don't get beat up again, Riley' Bane said. He didn't turn around from his computer, but kept staring at the video feed.

Scarlett chuckled softly, she wasn't going to make that promise.

'Is it true?' Alex asked Scarlett. 'Did you really bit him?'

Scarlett turned to Alex, who was sitting on the only bed in the cell.

'So you can talk?' Scarlett replied. 'I didn't realize you could'

She was still angry for Alex not thanking her. _I was the only one who stood up for her, and I didn't even know her…_

'Yeah about that… Thank you' Alex said.

'Just shut up for a moment and let me sleep'

It was hard to remember when she had last slept, or eaten. And even though Scarlett was so tired it was hard to fall asleep in a place like this. She was afraid that something would happen to her while she slept and while she would have the other girls' back, she wasn't sure if they would have her back. But eventually Scarlett's eyes began to close and she couldn't keep them open anymore...

'_I'm sorry' Bruce apologized. He showed his phone to Scarlett and turned it off where she could see. _

'_You owe me' Scarlett laughed. When Bruce had gone the people in the room didn't even pay attention to her, but now Bruce had returned all eyes were on them again._

'_You live in the Narrows, and you're afraid of these people?' Bruce replied._

'_The people in the Narrows don't stare at you'_

_A man announced that the guests of the movie premiere could enter the theatre and quickly all the stares were averted from Bruce and Scarlett and the guests all shuffled inside the theatre, still gossiping and bragging to each other._

'_Do you really want to watch the movie?' _

'_I thought you'd never ask' Scarlett sighed._

_She had no desire watching Brad Pitt on the big screen when she could be with Bruce._

_Bruce took Scarlett's hand and let her outside the theatre. All the paparazzi who had been here a few minutes ago had been gone so no one noticed their escape._

_The boy who was in charge of parking the car quickly brought them Bruce's Ferrari and they left for Bruce's mansion._

_The ride back was very soothing, Scarlett had stared out of the window the whole drive. Admiring the city lights and just enjoying Bruce's company._

'_What's Alfred going to say?' Scarlett asked when they drove up the driveway._

'_It's a big house, he won't notice' Bruce assured her._

_Bruce was right, the Wayne Manor was so big, you could play hide and seek in it and never find each other again._

_When they reached the top of the stairs in front of the manor they kissed again. It all felt so perfect._

'Rise and shine, bitches'

Scarlett abruptly woke from her dream. She wished that she could just sleep and dream on, like she used to do on lazy Sundays. But reality was calling.

A woman shoved a few loafs of stale bread to the iron bars of the cell. The woman was wearing leather pants and a blue distressed tank top. Her hair looked like it hadn't been washed in a few days, but her make-up looked fresh and very over the top.

The stale bread was a very welcome sight. Scarlett's stomach rumbled at the smell and sight of it.

Everyone of them had a whole loaf to themselves. They were all quiet while eating it, it seemed that everyone hadn't eaten in a long time.

The bread was followed by a few bottles of water. Scarlett had smelled the water first, making sure that it hadn't been drugged or poisoned, but it smelled normal. The water tasted wonderful, just like the bread had. Everything tasted delicious when you were starved_. _Although Scarlett did miss Alfred's pancakes…

'They say she is Bane's main whore' Alex said when the woman had left. 'She's called Devina and she like runs this place when he's gone'

Suddenly Scarlett was very interested in what Alex had to say. 'Run this place?' she asked her.

Alex nodded.

_Interesting_.

Escape plans began flooding Scarlett's mind. If she could be like that Devina girl, wander around freely, escaping shouldn't be that hard. But first she had to do the impossible, replace Devina and earn Bane's trust…


	7. Chapter 7

Another chapter! Hopefully I'll be seeing the Dark Knight Rises again so I can take a better look at Bane :) Enjoy!

* * *

Scarlett had expected that after the biting incident the men would leave her alone. But it turned out that she was more popular than anyone, they were literally fighting for a chance to 'tame' her.

And just like yesterday Scarlett had refused to cooperate in any way. The man had tried, but Scarlett had kicked him each time he came on top of her.

'We have to find something else for her, this is no use' the man had said to another.

_Progress… _If they found another job for than she could make some major progress with her breaking out plans, but she had to be careful, they could decide to kill her because she was no use.

'I told you so' Scarlett heard Bill say. While he walked past the cell she saw a glimpse of him, his arm in a cast, it made her chuckle.

'Let Devina have her, she'll know what to do with her.'

* * *

Just like Bane's men, Devina also had a whole cell to herself, unlocked. Scarlett had sat down on her bunk bed, waiting for Devina to return from whatever she was doing.

After a few minutes Devina appeared, still wearing the same clothes. They had given the girls something to cover themselves, Scarlett had claimed the sweatpants and the hoodie, almost covering every inch of her body.

'So…' Devina started.

'You're the brat who doesn't do what she's told?'

Wait, _brat_? She isn't a five year old anymore.

'I think brat is quite an overstatement…' Scarlett replied.

'No, not really' Devina sounded uninterested.

Devina crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

'Normally we just get rid of the girls who won't cooperate, but I see potential in you'

_Why did Bane give her so much power? She doesn't even look slightly intelligent…_

'You remind me of myself'

Scarlett didn't take that as a compliment. _Do I look that much like a whore?_

'And you are very pretty' Devina continued. She leaned forward and placed her hand on Scarlett's cut on her cheek, picturing her without it.

'Are there any specific skills you have?'

'I was a maid… before this' Scarlett said.

If she could be Bane's maid or someone else's maid she could wander around more freely. Also she could check out some stuff in the offices. Maybe she could even try to contact the outside world, find out where exactly they were. _I might even find a weapon…_

'Perfect!' Devina said.

'I'll talk to Bane about it, but don't tell the other girls, we don't want them to get jealous' Devina winked.

She let Scarlett out of her cell and escorted her back to Scarlett's own cell and after an hour or two she came back. Devina opened the cell again for Scarlett and led her to Bane's office.

'Bane agreed, but you should know that we'll be watching you' Devina pointed towards the camera's scattered all over the room.

Scarlett nodded.

'What are you waiting for, get started!' Devina said annoyed before walking away.

Scarlett around, looking for a place to start. The office was kept in pretty good shape, she wouldn't have to do much here.

Now she only had to find some cleaning utilities… She opened various cupboards and cabinets before finding them in the bathroom where she had cleaned herself up.

It didn't feel as hot in the office as it had before, but Scarlett figured she was just very nervous and scared last time she was here.

Although she felt like she had made some progress, Scarlett also felt like she gained nothing. She didn't had to endure getting raped every few minutes, but with all those camera's escaping would be simply impossible. The only plan she had right now is gain more confidence from Devina and Bane.

Also, part of being a maid again made her feel miserable. It reminded her of Bruce.

The computers and laptops in the room were very tempting. The only thing she had to do was log on the internet, facebook, twitter and send some sort of a distress signal. It could be so simple. But Scarlett didn't want to take the risk.

The room was cleaned quickly and the guard told her to continue with another room. This one seemed to be like the room where Bane actually slept. The room had the exact same shape as the office, but all the original furniture had been cleared out and a bed and sofa had returned instead.

Just like the other room, this room was almost spotless. The only thing she could do is dust some more and maybe change the bedding. _What's the point of being a maid if everything is clean already?_

'You're bruises are healing well'

The dark and rumbling voice had to belong to Bane.

'Funny, I actually thought the opposite'

Scarlett turned around to face Bruce who was standing in the doorway.

The bruises on her face had turned even darker. _Couldn't they just turn a pale green which was barely noticeabl_e? The cuts still looked the same, but that was expected in such a short time period.

'I see Devina has gotten you a new job' Bane looked around the room, which was by now spick-and-span and practically germ free.

Scarlett nodded.

'Not as exciting as your previous job' Bane stated.

'I don't really get to bite anyone' Scarlett joked.

Bane chuckled.

Scarlett felt that it was better to be quite optimistic and confident around Bane. Unlike the other girls she wanted to show no weakness at all.

Since the room was cleaned, it was time for Scarlett to go. She hoped that she could sleep on the bed this night, it was tough sharing a cell with five people when you never had to share before.

'I better go' Scarlett said while picking up her bucket with cleaning utilities. 'I'm finished anyway'

'Riley?' Bane asked when Scarlett had reached the door to go.

'Did I tell you that you could go?'

Suddenly Scarlett noticed that the door was locked.

Her heart skipped a beat while she turned around to face him. _Of course the whole maid thing had to be too good to be true…_

'I'm sorry…' Scarlett apologized. 'Of course, I should've asked you'

Bane walked to wear Scarlett was standing. He placed his hand on her cheek, tracing the cut with his thumb.

'Devina is off-duty tonight' he told her.

He didn't have to say more, Scarlett already knew what his plan was. She figured that she better just go along with it. She had to, if she wanted to win his trust.

* * *

All eyes were on Scarlett when she returned to her cell. She had spend the night in Bane's room and all the girls were eager to find out what exactly happened, especially Alex.

This night was the first night in an attempt to replace Devina. Scarlett hadn't held back when she was with Bane and of course she hadn't bit him.

'A lady never tells' Scarlett told them. Even though she didn't really acted and dressed like a lady lately. She really didn't want to go into much detail.

'What did Devina do with you' Alex asked.

'She told me to behave'

'And did you?'

Scarlett chuckled. It was nice to see that Alex was getting more comfortable, but she really needed to her limits.

Breakfast was bread again, however this time the bread was a lot fresher. While Scarlett ate she talked to Alex. It was nice having someone to talk to and she started liking Alex better and better. _I could almost forgive her for not thanking me after I stood up for her_.

When Scarlett was finished eating she was summoned to Devina's cell.

'You wanted to see me?' Scarlett asked.

Devina was eating breakfast on her bed. Her breakfast consisted of fresh toast and orange juice, something Scarlett would kill for right now.

'Yes' Devina replied. She took a sip of the orange juice.

The guards who had escorted Scarlett had disappeared, leaving only her and Devina.

'I would like to talk to you about something'

Devina stood up from her bed, now facing Scarlett and placed her hand on the back of Scarlett's left shoulder.

'When I said that you could be a maid…' she started.

'… I meant that you could clean his room, not _fuck_ him'

Jealousy was dripping from every word she said. _Was she feeling threatened by me?_

Scarlett didn't know what to say. She obviously thought that Devina knew about this.

'I'm sorry, I didn't know Bane was yours' Scarlett did her best not to sound too arrogant, but she couldn't help herself.

Suddenly Devina's nails dug in her shoulder. The pain was excruciating and Scarlett gasped for air. She tried to push Devina away, but instead Devina pushed Scarlett roughly against the wall.

'You will never touch him again' Devina threatened.

'I'm watching you' she added.

She pressed her nails a little deeper one last time before letting Scarlett go.


	8. Chapter 8

Next chapter will probably be up tuesday or wednesday, since I have to work tomorrow. Enjoy!

* * *

The next few days were relatively quiet. Scarlett had avoided Devina as much as possible and there had been no sign of Bane at all. She cleaned his office and sleeping quarters each day, but after the second day Scarlett noticed that nothing changed in the room; Bane wasn't even here.

Alex had heard that Bane was away on some sort of mission. It turned out that Alex could be of good use when planning the escape. She seemed to know everything that was going on and enjoyed gossiping. When both Alex and Scarlett didn't had to work they played cards together. Scarlett found out that Alex had an amazing poker face, winning each time they played.

She had told Scarlett about her life, how she lived in Gotham. She told her thing about her high school, she had been a cheerleading captain and was planning to go to Princeton. Scarlett told her that everything would be alright, that they soon would let her go. _And if they don't I'll break her out…_

It was safe to say that Scarlett was developing a good friendship with Alex. She didn't really talk to the other girls or guards. Alex had been claimed by a guy named Joe and according to her he treated her pretty well.

'What happened between you and Devina?' Alex asked her while they were playing yet another game of poker. And again, Alex was beating her.

_Does she know everything?_

'Nothing' Scarlett replied, but Alex raised her eyebrows letting her know that she didn't believe her.

'Nothing special happened' Scarlett reassured her.

'She just wanted to let me know that I did a good job cleaning'

Scarlett had told Alex about her being a maid, but she couldn't tell her about the Devina incident. In fact she told the opposite of what had happened.

Dinner got better each day, this time they had a full meal for themselves. Scarlett lost track of how long they had been here, it was probably a little over two weeks. She figured that if Bruce was looking for her, he would've given up by now. When someone is missing for over two weeks they are most likely to be dead anyway.

The deep scratches Devina had left behind hadn't healed, at all. Scarlett had quickly taken a look at them while she was cleaning the bathroom and they looked infected. It would be hard to explain how she had gotten them and she didn't want to get into more trouble with Devina. She knew that it could cost her life if she wasn't careful enough.

* * *

Scarlett returned to Bane's room after the guard had given her a break from cleaning. She always pretended that there was a lot of work to do, but in reality she spend half of her time examining her wounds and cuts in the mirror.

When Scarlett opened the door she found Devina sitting on Bane's bed, wearing very seductive lingerie. Even though she had an amazing body, this look went a little far, it wasn't classy at all. But who was Scarlett to judge?

Avoiding eye contact she started cleaning the other side of the room, her back towards Devina.

'How are your wounds?' Devina asked arrogantly. _She knew well enough how they were, she had given them to me._

'Fine' Scarlett snapped back, still keeping her back towards Devina.

'I have encountered another problem, Riley'

Scarlett rolled her eyes. Couldn't she leave her alone?

'I checked out your name, but you're not in any of my files' Devina said.

_How can she even check my name if she hasn't even gotten my last name? Was she that stupid?_

'I'm not sure why I would be in any of your files?'

'I have access to the files of the town hall'

'So?'

The fact that Devina had been tracking her name wasn't really reassuring. If she found out there was literally no record of a certain 'Riley' she could be in deep trouble.

'If you live in Gotham, they have to have some sort of record of you'

'I don't live in Gotham'

'Well, where do you live?'

Quickly Scarlett had to think of something.

'Does it really matter?'

Scarlett turned around. Devina was still laying on the bed.

'As the matter of fact, it does'

Suddenly the door swung open and Bane stepped inside.

He was wearing a bulletproof vest, army pants and boots, all covered in blood. Scarlett didn't know if this meant his mission went well or if it had failed.

'Devina, leave us' he said. Even though Bane's voice sounded somewhat angry, Scarlett began to get used to it.

Devina's expression was priceless. She was completely horrified by the fact that Bane wanted her out.

'Bane?' she asked.

Bane wasn't having much patience tonight.

'Leave' he told her sharp.

Annoyed, Devina stood up from the bed and crossed her arms. She left the room sulking. Muttering something about that she was a lot better than that stupid Riley.

_This wasn't really good for our 'relationship' _Scarlett thought. She had hoped to avoid Bane, but she hadn't expected to encounter him while she was with Devina.

'Is there something wrong?' Scarlett asked Bane.

'What happened with you and Devina?'

'Well…' Scarlett started. 'She didn't find any records of me…'

'Of course' Bane said. 'We all know Riley isn't your real name'

_Damn_.

'And you know that's not what I meant…'

It was to be expected of Bane that he had some 'spies' among the girls. But she wondered how exactly he had found out, because Scarlett was fairly sure she and Devina had been alone when the incident had happened.

'Show me' Bane demanded.

Scarlett didn't know why Bane was so interested to see the scratches, they weren't the only wounds she had.

Slowly Scarlett unzipped her hoodie. She turned around and took the hoodie off, showing the scratches on her back. Because Devina had pushed her into the wall she also had some bruises on her shoulder blades.

After a few seconds she pulled the hoodie back on, covering herself. She didn't want to be like Devina, even though it was hard she still wanted to be classy. Her morals and values still counted, despite the fact that she was practically living in a hell on earth.

'It's nothing' Scarlett reassured when she turned around.

'She will not touch you again, no one will' Bane said.

_Why me?_ Scarlett thought. _Why not Alex or Blondie, or somebody else? What had she done to deserve this? The other girls were suffering just as much as she was, if not more._

'I don't mind, it didn't hurt anyway…'

'It's infected'

'No, it's not'

'Don't question me' Bane snapped.

Scarlett didn't say anything more, but after a moment which felt like hours she broke the silence.

'What's your whole plan anyway?'

Alex had been able to tell her a lot, but she still didn't have a clue what Bane's plan was.

Bane had moved behind his computer, still wearing the bulletproof vest.

'I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you' he said.

Secretly that made Scarlett smile a little. _Good answer_.

Bane turned around in his chair.

'Tell me Riley, what's your real name?'

'I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you' she recited with a smirk.

Bane chuckled. And luckily for Scarlett he didn't ask any further questions.

'I have something to show you' he told her.

* * *

The prison was even bigger than Scarlett had expected. She had only been into block B and C and of course the main building where the offices were. But it turned out that there was a whole structure of multiple buildings behind the original prison.

Scarlett walked behind Bane, not sure where he was taking her. They moved inside another building which was connected to the building where all the cells had been. Bane's men were everywhere, guarding each and every exit. _This operation was a lot bigger than I thought._

'Shouldn't Devina also be here?' Scarlett asked Bane.

'She has been demoted' Bane replied.

Some part inside Scarlett was happy to hear that, the other part was scared. If she was that easily replaced, the same fate could be in store for Scarlett.

'We're here' Bane said. _Was there a hint of excitement in his voice?_

Bane moved inside what seemed like a boiler room. But they weren't on the ground floor, but high up. Bane moved on some sort of bridge, which was enclosed by a large fence.

He told Scarlett to wait behind the fence. 'Tonight you will see what we're planning to do'

The fence closed behind him. 'Enjoy the show, Scarlett'

_Scarlett? How? How did he know?_

Scarlett's mind was dazing. Did he knew all along? What was even going to happen tonight? She wasn't sure if she wanted to see what was about to go down, because it didn't look well.

After waiting a few minutes Scarlett heard footsteps on the other side of the bridge where Bane was standing. A shape emerged from the opening and with a loud bang the fence closed behind him. It was hard to see who it was, since the other end of the bridge was badly lit.

_What was happening?_

Scarlett didn't know what to think of this. Were they going to make some sort of arrangement? But why here?

The shape moved forward into the light.

_Holy shit, was that Batman?_

Scarlett couldn't believe her eyes. The dark knight of Gotham stood there, right before her eyes. This was getting stranger and stranger.

Carefully Scarlett moved closer to the fence, trying to get a better look, making sure it was really Batman she saw.

Obviously Bane's plan wasn't to come to some sort of an agreement, he wanted to fight the Batman, who was probably the one thing that prevented him from executing his plan.

'Mister Wayne' Bane said while moving towards Batman.

_Mister Wayne…_

It took some time before Scarlett realized what was going on.

'_You have a lot of scars'_

'_I like extreme sports, such as base jumping''_

Flashbacks went through Scarlett's mind, the scars, the car that she saw inside the garage_._

Bruce _was_ Batman.

Suddenly it all became too much for Scarlett. She had to sit down. It was hard to try to hold back the tears, but she had to. _Don't show them your weak, don't show them your weak,_ Scarlett repeated softly. She couldn't watch this, she couldn't watch Bruce get killed by Bane. Bane would crush him in a matter of seconds and there was nothing that she could do to help Bruce…


	9. Chapter 9

Next chapter will feature some Bruce! Enjoy :)

* * *

The snap was unbearable. Scarlett covered hear ears to avoid hearing it. During the fight she never closed her eyes, she had to see it. She had to see Bane fighting Bruce. But the sounds of breaking bones was too much. Secretly she prayed that Bane suddenly lost his strength against Bruce. She didn't want Bruce to die but she didn't want Bane to die either.

Bane had taken off Bruce's Batman mask. He had broken his back and Scarlett was not sure if he was dead or alive. But it didn't matter that much anyway, with a broken back there was little you could do.

The Bat was broken, just like part of Scarlett's heart.

Guards had escorted Scarlett back to Bane's office. 'He'll be there soon' they told her. Scarlett had never felt so confused about her feelings, her mind was spinning and it was hard to control her emotions. _Don't cry, don't cry_, she repeated. _Don't cry, don't cry_.

They brought her dinner, telling her she didn't had to wait for Bane. The dinner was amazing, looking like it came straight out of a five star hotel. With some reluctance she ate her dinner. Bruce and Bane both on her mind. _Did Alex know about this? She knew everything. _She wondered if she could tell Alex about what she saw, about who she really was, about Bruce, she wondered if she could trust her.

Scarlett could hear footsteps approaching. Quickly she regained her composure. _Don't cry_. Bane would be in a good mood, it was better to keep it that way.

The door swung open and Bane entered, looking very content. Everything had went as he had planned.

'How you did you like it?' Bane asked, placing his hand on the back of Scarlett's neck and squeezing it gently.

A million answers went through Scarlett's mind, but none seemed to be fitting. Of course she couldn't tell Bane she knew Bruce and she had feelings for him.

'Amazed' Scarlett answered finally.

It seemed to be a good answer, Bane chuckled. He sat down on the chair opposite of her. He looked at Scarlett's half eaten dinner.

'Didn't you like it?'

'I loved it, but it was just a bit too much'

Scarlett smiled weakly. _Don't cry, don't cry._

'Good' Bane continued, acting like everything was fine and not like he probably killed Batman.

'You can expect more of that'

Not sure what he meant, Scarlett raised her eyebrows.

'You'll be staying here and not with those _whores_'

Just like Bane's plan, Scarlett's plan had worked. She had replaced Devina. Unfortunately she wasn't in the mood to be happy about it. But she smiled, like she always had done. She hid her pain, her feelings.

That night she had slept with Bane, like every other night, only this night she stayed with him. It felt nice sleeping in a bed and she even enjoyed Bane's company. She wasn't scared of him anymore, she got used to his voice and she didn't even notice the mask anymore.

Her bruises had gone away, but the cuts were still visible. She had gained the weight she had lost. She started to look normal again, dressing in normal clothes instead of old rags and eating normal food.

Immediately taking advantage of the freedom, she decided to visit Alex. She wasn't going to abandon her. The girl had won a spot in her heart and if she ever got out of here she wanted Alex by her side. Besides, if it weren't for Alex, Bane would never had noticed her.

Scarlett had slipped some left over breakfast inside a plastic bag and had given it to Alex. She seemed fine but she missed playing poker, she was still as bubbly as always. Scarlett promised her that she'd ask Bane if she could come visit in the office sometimes.

Even though it wasn't really any of her business, Scarlett was determined to find out what happened to Devina. The guards didn't even look at her when she passed them. She had to remember that incase she wanted to escape.

After some wandering around she found Devina locked up in a cell with some other girls. She looked even worse than Scarlett did when she was all beaten up. Devina's head bled and she was covered in bruises.

'How are your wounds?' Scarlett asked the same question Devina had told her and she leaned against the cell.

Devina scoffed.

'How is Bane?'

'Don't pretend like you care about him'

'I can't help my feelings'

_Is this girl for real? _Devina was nothing more than an object to Bane, a doll with whom he did as he liked. Scarlett hoped to be more to him than that.

'Seriously?' Scarlett chuckled. _She's so pathetic._

'Try biting them when you don't want to get raped' Scarlett continued. 'Or digging your nails in their back, it helps'

'At least I'm not a savage' Devina snapped back, referring to the biting incident.

'At least I'm not a pathetic whore'

'Is that the best you've got?' Devina smiled arrogantly.

'You know nothing' Scarlett said. The other girls all acted like they ignored what was going in, but Scarlet knew better. They were probably enjoying this as much as she was.

'I know more than you think' Devina said. 'I know about the Batman'

The little game they were playing just got serious. Scarlett could feel the anger inside her enraging.

'What about him?' Scarlett said, trying to act like she didn't knew what was going on.

'Bane told me' she claimed.

'I know his identity'

The smug on Devina's face made Scarlett's rage even worse.

'I don't believe you' Scarlett said.

Scarlett moved closer to the entrance of the cell, as did Devina. Their faces were almost touching.

Suddenly Devina pulled something out of her back pocket and a large bang sent Scarlett backwards. She fell down on the floor and before she knew it the whole world went black.

* * *

The sound of machinery and murmuring woke Scarlett. She opened her eyes to find she was in a hospital. Immediately her hand reached to her shoulder. It was bandaged and Scarlett could feel a lot of pressure on it. With difficulty she sat up and looked around her. She didn't know anyone in the room and she didn't know what happened.

The strangers scared Scarlett and she felt a sudden urge to escape. Hysteria took over her body as she tried to pull out her IV's.

'Calm down' a stranger who looked like a doctor said while he and someone else tried to hold Scarlett down.

'You need to rest!'

Scarlett gave in, she was too tired to fight them.

'What happened?' she asked with a hoarse voice.

Just when Scarlett thought everything would be better, it all got worse. Everything was going according to plan, but as like always someone had to ruin it.

'You got shot' the doctor told her.

Suddenly Scarlett remembered everything. Devina, the gun, the pain, the fear, everything.

'I want Bane' Scarlett had to take deep breaths between each word, she was exhausted.

'He'll be here soon'

* * *

A few hours (or minutes) later Scarlett woke again. Again all she heard was the sound coming from the machinery, but this time the room was empty. A tray with food was left on a side table. The food lacked the quality it had yesterday but Scarlett wasn't hungry anyway.

_How long had I been out?_

Scarlett pushed a button next to her bed and a short moment later a nurse was at her bedside. 'Can I get something for the pain, morphine, vodka?' she asked. She could handle the pain, but everything that happened in the past 24 hours was too much. It would be nice not being able to think for a while.

'I'll ask' the nurse replied, her smile full of pity.

_Don't pity me, pity Bruce. He's the one who needs saving, not me._

A few minutes later the nurse came back with some pills and water. Eagerly Scarlett swallowed them.

'Can I see Bane now?' she asked.

'He has some business to attend to, he'll be here soon'

Scarlett sighed.

'Where am I anyway?' she wanted to ask, but the nurse had already left. Leaving Scarlett alone in the room.

Looking around the room Scarlett found that the room had a window. She couldn't remember the last time she saw day light. Against the doctor's orders she got up and stumbled towards the window. She opened the blinds and let a ray of sunlight hit her face. It felt warm and familiar. She had missed it, but not as much as she missed Bruce, not as much like she wanted Bane here right now.

Taking a closer look at the surroundings she came to the conclusion that she didn't know this hospital. She had only been to Gotham General once, it seemed logical that Bane had brought her to a smaller and unknown hospital.

Minutes she stood soaking up the sun. It was a better medicine than the pills the nurse had given her. The warm light made her feel alive again, even if she was pretty much dead already.

'Get back in bed'

Scarlett hadn't heard Bane entering the room. She turned her head but she didn't say anything.

'Scarlett' Bane warned.

'Or what?' she snapped back. It was time that she stood up for herself, she had lost the fighting spirit she first had when she arrived at the prison, but the recent events had given her new energy.

'You said no one will touch me anymore' Anger was clearly audible in her voice.

'I want a gun' She said.

'Lie down' Bane replied, ignoring her.

Scarlett turned away from him, turning back to the sunlight. It looked like it was a beautiful day. What she'd give right now to walk outside, to just forget this ever happened, to go back to her former life.

Bane moved closer towards Scarlett, picking her up and laying her in the hospital bed. Scarlett didn't fight him, if he was stronger than Bruce, how was she ever going to fight him?

'I want a gun' Scarlett said again.

'No' Bane replied sharp.

'Why did Devina had one?'

'To protect herself'

'Look how well that turned out'

The bullet wound on her shoulder still hurt, but it didn't stop her from tracing the wound, occasionally poking her finger inside to see if she still felt pain.

'Precisely, that's why I don't want you to have one'

'I'm not like her, don't you trust me?'

A tear fell down Scarlett's cheek. She wasn't hurt physically but also mentally.

Bane didn't say anything and wiped the tear off Scarlett's cheek.

'When you go, please leave the blinds open'

She turned her head away from him and closed her eyes again, waiting for the medicines to do their job.


	10. Chapter 10

I enjoy writing this story so much, but sadly I have to work tomorrow and the day after that, I'll try and finish another update tonight! Enjoy! :)

* * *

After a few days in the hospital Scarlett was allowed to go back to the prison. She had tried to buy more time by saying she didn't feel well, but it hadn't worked. Scarlett was going to miss that window, being able to see the outside world.

Bane had came by once or twice but Scarlett wasn't in the mood to see him, still angry that he didn't wanted her to be armed. The word of her getting shot had probably reached Alex already and Scarlett was eager to find out what happened to Devina.

'Welcome home' the guards greeted her when she entered the prison.

'_Home'_ Scarlett chuckled. Even her crappy apartment was more a home to her.

A doctor had moved in the prison, they were getting more casualties every day, but Scarlett knew he was there mostly to keep an eye on her.

Her arm was tied up with a sling, which annoyed the crap out of Scarlett. It was her right arm and she wasn't familiar in using her left arm. Even picking up a fork to eat was difficult.

Scarlett had arranged for Alex to come by. She made sure there was a delicious meal waiting for her, for which Alex seemed to be very grateful.

'I'm sorry about your shoulder' she said.

'It's nothing' Scarlett smiled.

The next few hours they talked about everything that had happened, and of course they played poker and of course Alex had beaten her.

'What happened to Devina?'

'No one is really sure, but she's tied up in cell block D'

And that was exactly where Scarlett was heading after Alex left.

* * *

Cell block D was empty, too empty. She had encountered a few guards and they had greeted her nicely. _Was Alex sure Devina was held here?_

To be safe she had made her own weapon, even though Bane had forbid her. She had gotten the idea when she had used the bathroom. She smashed the mirror and picked out the largest' and pointiest piece, wrapping an old sock around the end of it to hold it. _Devina was going to pay for what she did._

She had hid her makeshift knife in the sleeve of her shirt, barely noticeable. From a distance she could see two guards guarding a cell, the cell where Devina was held. Scarlett wondered why only two guards were guarding here, she had expected more.

'You shouldn't be here' one of the guards said when Scarlett approached them.

'You shouldn't tell me what to do' she replied fiercely.

'Bane wants you in their office' she lied. 'Better not make him wait'

The guards looked at each other, doubtful if Scarlett was telling the truth.

'Who's going to guard her?' he asked her.

'I am' Scarett shrugged.

The guard nodded and left for the office. The other guard would stay outside the cell block, so Scarlett could call him if she needed his help.

'We meet again' Scarlett said when she entered the cell.

Devina was chained up against the wall, her hands and legs tied. Blood covered her face and arms. They had tortured her, but not hard enough in Scarlett's opinion.

'You know' she started. 'When I first saw you I found you foolish, dumb'

She moved closer to Devina, unchaining her.

'I never thought you could fool me, but I was wrong'

It was true, Devina had taken her completely by surprise. How was she supposed to know she had a gun. _Why didn't Bane take to gun away? _She suddenly realized.

'But you can't fool me anymore, not after I'm done with you'

Devina didn't say anything. She rubbed her ankle and wrist where she had been handcuffed.

Carefully Scarlett pulled her knife from her sleeve, making sure she didn't cut herself.

All of a sudden she was doubtful if she wanted to do this. This wasn't the girl she was, she had changed. She had changed into a heartless monster, one part of her said. The other told her she had to have her revenge. And it was the latter part of herself that she listened to.

With one clean sweep across Devina's throat and she was dead. Blood gushed from the cut Scarlett had made. She was killed instantly, experiencing no to little pain. _I have been merciful, I could've made it a lot worse_.

Now she had to get out of here. She hid her blood stained hands in the pockets of her hoodie and left the block by another exit. She had dropped the knife in the cell. Bane would find out about this and Scarlett didn't even mind. Revenge had been sweet.

The next thing Scarlett needed to do was find out where they were holding Bruce, or his body. Nobody could tell her if he was alive or dead.

* * *

Scarlett pulled the hood further over her head, trying to conceal who she was. She went inside the room and looked for the smallest size clothing they had. She put on camo-pants and a black tee, she topped it off with a bulletproof vest. The plan was to look more like a guard and less like herself.

She had passed the boiler room where Bane had broken Bruce and she was now further inside the prison than she had ever been. She recognized nothing and no one. Sometimes she wondered how many men Bane had, because it seemed like thousands.

The last room she tried was the one she was looking for. It was enormous, with a large pit in the middle, going up towards the outside world. Cell covered the ground around the pit. She was sure if Bruce was alive he was being held here.

She circled around the large pit, checking each cell, and then she saw him. He was laying on a bed in a cell with two other men. _He wasn't dead_. Scarlett sighed with relief.

The cell was dark but it was open at one end. Before she approached Bruce she asked a guard why the cells weren't closed. He told her that the prisoners were free to leave. Now it all fell into place, the pit, the open cells. They could try to escape, climb the wall, but it probably would never work. Most of them had died in the process of trying.

Cautiously Scarlett moved closer to the cell. She didn't wanted to scare Bruce with her appearance. He probably thought she was dead, as she had thought of him before he had shown up as Batman.

'Bruce?' she said softly, her hands wrapped around the iron bars of the cell.

Bruce looked up. He was in pain, Scarlett noticed.

She let down her hoodie, revealing more of who she was.

'It's me, Scarlett' she continued.

Bruce looked like he couldn't believe his eyes.

'How did you find me?' he stumbled, his hand rubbing his temples.

'Where are we?'

That was a question even Scarlett didn't know the answer for.

'I don't know' she whispered back.

'We thought you were dead' Bruce replied.

'I thought you dumped me at the party' Scarlett smiled a little.

'Yeah, sorry about that'

'Don't worry about it'

Considering the situation they were both in, Scarlett couldn't be mad about that.

'Where's your dress?' Bruce asked. 'It was very expensive'

The smirk on his face made Scarlett smile. It was nice to see the old Bruce was still there, she wondered if the old Scarlett was still inside her.

'I don't think I'll be able to wear it again' she replied.

'So I guess you know I'm Batman'

'It does explain all the scars you have' Scarlett wasn't stupid, she hadn't believed the whole base jumping story from the moment he had told her, but she had never guessed that he was the Dark Knight of Gotham.

'I see you've added some of your own' Bruce said referring to her cuts.

'Yeah' Scarlett started. 'I thought if you have them, I should have them too. Now we match'

Scarlett could hear a lot of footsteps approaching behind her.

'I have to go' she told him.

She had to be back in Bane's office in time, she also had to make up an alibi of where she was when Devina got killed.

'Will you come back?' Bruce asked quickly before she left.

'I'll try'

It was hard to keep promises in a place like this, so Scarlett avoided making them.

She pulled the hood back over her head and let her hand touch Bruce's hand.

'Bye' she smiled, before leaving.

* * *

When Scarlett got back to the office Bane was already there. It had taken her longer to walk back than she had expected. She had to dump the clothing she had wore and change back into her own clothing.

Dinner was already served, waiting for Scarlett to be eaten. She didn't greet Bane and quietly sat down on the chair opposite of him. She knew he knew about Devina.

'Don't deny you did it' Bane said, breaking the silence.

'I don't'

Scarlett started eating the dinner they had provided for her. When she started cutting the steak she noticed she forgot washing her hands, faded red spots of blood covering them.

'What were you thinking?' Bane sounded angry.

'What were _you_ thinking when she shot me?' Scarlett replied. 'What were you thinking when you didn't take the gun from her? What were you thinking when she threatened me?'

_It's not fair for him to be angry with me_.

'I forbade you to visit her'

'Would that stop you?'

After two bites of food Scarlett put down her fork and knife, she had lost her appetite. Besides it was hard for her to cut the meat with only one hand.

'Was this your first kill?' Bane asked her.

_Of course it was_, Scarlett wanted to say, but she had said enough already. She only nodded.

'How did you feel when you were done? Complete? Were you satisfied? Was it worth it?'

She nodded again. She did feel satisfied when she had killed Devina. That girl had made her life her so much more miserable than it should have, not to mention that she also tried the kill Scarlett.

'Was it worth it?' Bane repeated, demanding an answer.

'Yes, it was' Scarlett replied.

'It better be, each kill you make has to be worth it'

Bane stood up from his chair and took of his bulletproof vest and shirt.

'I'm going to bed' he announced, before disappearing in the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

I saw The Dark Knight Rises again! It was great to be able to pay more attention to the actual characters than the whole story. I also enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time! Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Bane had already left when Scarlett woke up. The night before, after a few moments of doubt she had climbed into bed with him, her back towards him. He hadn't touched her that night and Scarlett felt terrible.

She had strawberries for breakfast, picking them up with her hands because her left hand wouldn't cooperate with her. The strawberries were delicious and sweet, just like her revenge on Devina had been.

It was too big of a risk to visit Bruce again. She decided to wait at least another week before she could see him. It would be too prominent if she visited him often. Bane had spies around the prison keeping an eye on her, she couldn't risk it. However Bane wasn't the only one who had spies, Scarlett had one of her own.

To be honest Scarlett didn't know where Bane went every day, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to know what he did everyday. There was little for her to do around the prison. When the doctor had asked if she needed something she had asked for books or anything else to keep her busy. An hour later the doctor had brought her a pile of books and she started reading them immediately. She got lost in new worlds and for a moment she forgot Bane and Bruce.

Again dinner was an absolute horror, Scarlett was simply not able to cut the meat. Annoyed she threw the knife across the room. She felt like a baby again, a weak baby.

When evening came Bane still hadn't come back. Even though she would normally wait for him she went to bed, feeling exhausted and frustrated.

However because of Bane's absence she couldn't sleep, the bed felt too cold even though she was wrapped in multiple blankets. But after who knows how many hours her eyes felt heavy and she couldn't keep them open anymore.

The loud smack of an opening door woke Scarlett. She let her eyes adjust to the light and sat up. Bane sat down on a chair, the doctor immediately attending him.

Quickly Scarlett got out of bed. 'What happened?' she asked while quickly putting on a bathrobe to cover herself in the presence of the doctor and guards.

'Nothing' Bane mumbled.

Scarlett quickly examined the wound. He had a large cut along his back, but it didn't look too serious.

'I'll take it from here' she said, taking the washcloth from the doctor. She nodded that he should leave.

Gently she dabbed the cloth on the wound, it wouldn't need stitches but she decided to put some disinfectant on it, just to be sure.

The silence between them was agonizing. Scarlett knew she had to be the first one to speak up.

'I'm sorry about Devina' Scarlett apologized. She had felt content about it first, but when she saw Bane's reaction she had doubted if what she did was right.

'I know' Bane said.

He didn't flinch once when Scarlett put on the disinfectant on the wound. She wished she was as strong as he was.

'Done' Scarlett smiled faintly.

'Will you leave again tonight?' She didn't know what his plans were, but she didn't liked it when he wasn't there at night, she already had to miss him the whole day.

'Did you miss me?' Bane replied.

'Maybe' Scarlett said teasingly.

Bane had never told her precisely why he wore the mask. She had heard stories from Alex, but she never dared to ask him.

Scarlett let her hand slide across Bane's broad shoulders, massaging his sore muscles with her left hand.

Slowly the leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the spots between his mask that revealed skin. It felt good to kiss him, because of the mask she hadn't been able to kiss him like she had kissed Bruce, but this was just as good.

'Do that again' Bane said, his voice sounding demanding.

Taken by surprise Scarlett kissed him again, this time kissing the back of his neck where the huge scar ran down on his back.

Bane turned himself around and looked Scarlett in the eye, his hands on the small of her back. Like she was a doll he picked her up, his hands sliding down to her thighs, and softly put her on the bed.

* * *

It was past 10 in the morning when Scarlett woke up. To her surprise Bane was still with her. Normally he would be off early in the morning for business and he returned late in the evening. But this morning he was still here.

Scarlett slowly moved her head, making sure she didn't wake him, although she had a feeling he was already awake. She had slept the whole night on Bane's chest with his arms wrapped around her. It was the first time they had done so and if it were up to Scarlett they would do it every night.

'Morning' Scarlett smiled when she noticed that Bane was indeed awake.

Bane let go of Scarlett and softly brushed her hair with his hand, before standing up.

It was hard to contain her smile, Scarlett had never felt more alive than she did now, at least in the past months. But even though she really started to develop a bond with Bane, Bruce was always haunting her in the back of her mind. _This is the man who broke him_. Scarlett could nothing more than push the thought away.

'I hope I can be back early tonight' Bane told her, while he pulled on his cargo pants and bulletproof vest.

Scarlett had now also gotten out of bed, quickly putting on a bathrobe, she would get dressed later on.

'Just be careful okay' she said, before Bane walked out of the door.

'I'll try' he replied.

* * *

Walking through the hallways of the prison Scarlett noticed every eye on her. There had been a delivery which needed verification and a signature. She tried ignoring the stares, telling herself it wasn't her they were looking at.

But they were looking at her. _The killer of Devina_. She could read pity in their eyes, pity, fear, admiration and more fear and pity. Even Alex couldn't look her straight in the eye when she talked to her.

_They are afraid of me, afraid that I might do the same to them as I did to Devina. _

Scarlett, the girl who protected the innocent was not so innocent anymore. She had turned into Scarlett, the girl who killed for revenge.

As fast as she could Scarlett returned to the offices, wanting to avoid the stares. But when she almost reached the offices she turned around, suddenly really wanting to visit Bruce.

_I have turned into a monster_.

The word 'monster' haunted her mind. She had changed, changed for worse, changed for better, it was still undecided. But Scarlett knew she had to change back to her old self. The old Scarlett would never kill someone, especially not out of spite, for revenge. But she had killed and suddenly she was full of regret for her actions.

She did not bother with changing clothes, disguising her appearance. She wanted to see Bruce as herself, or what was left of it. To be honest she didn't really cared about being linked to Bruce anymore.

The large pit in the middle still daunted Scarlett when she entered, it was absolutely enormous.

'Bruce?' she spoke softly when she reached his cell.

It was a relief to see that Bruce's back had been healed. She had heard rumors that a prison doctor had popped his vertebrae back into place. Scarlett could not imagine how painful that must have been.

As the matter of fact, Bruce's back must've healed pretty good. He was doing push-ups on the floor besides his bed.

'How are you?' Bruce asked. He stopped doing push-ups and moved closer to the iron bars against which Scarlett was leaning.

'How are _you_, Bruce' Scarlett asked. Apart from being a cold blooded murderer, she was fine. But she remember herself that Bruce was in a worse situation than she was, a situation a lot worse.

'I'm fine' Bruce said, and Scarlett knew he meant it.

'You have to listen carefully' he suddenly said with a very serious tone in his voice.

Scarlett was all ears.

'I know how I can escape this place' he started.

'But I can't take you with me, you have to escape on your own'

Scarlett nodded, she knew this was coming. And to be frank so longed for the light of day, and her old life.

'I already might have a plan' she replied.

'Good' Bruce nodded. 'Once you're out I can help you, but for the escaping part, you are on your own'

Scarlett moved her hand through the iron barred cage, intertwining her hand with Bruce's, squeezing it gently.

'Tell me about your plan' Scarlett asked.

Bruce looked up, towards the pit.

Just now Scarlett noticed the details, the stones sticking out somewhat, a platform and the rope dangling from the top of the pit.

_He was going to climb out of the pit._


	12. Chapter 12

I'm sorry for the longer wait! I was quite busy. Also I finally figured out where I want to take this story. Enjoy and please review!

* * *

Scarlett had a week to make her escape, it should be doable. If Bruce was going to make it out was a mystery. He had to climb out of the pit and even though he would be secured with a rope he still had to be careful.

She took an alternate route back to the offices. It was a lot longer but worth it, now she avoided as much stares as possible.

The office was empty, perfect for planning her escape. Even though she really wanted to get out of this place, a voice inside her was telling her she should stay, stay with Bane. But for once she went with what her head told her instead of her heart.

The escape would be quick. Scarlett would get Alex out of her cell, making up an excuse that they were going to play cards. She needed to get some clothing which the guards wore, but that wasn't too hard. They would put that on and make it for the exit, hopefully stealing one the cars.

_Making the escape wasn't the hardest part, the hardest part was leaving Bane…_

Scarlett decided that the best time for the escape was as soon as possible: the following morning. Bane would be gone the whole day, so they had enough time to get away. One thing she hadn't decided was how she should say goodbye to Bane. Scarlett didn't want him to know about Bruce, so she had to make up something else.

* * *

Bane returned without any cuts and bruises that night, which soothed Scarlett. He would do fine without her, he always had been.

Scarlett had taken off the sling, against the doctor's orders. It was driving her insane and she didn't really feel the wound anymore. She had peeked under the bandage and the wound was healing up nicely, it would turn into a quite interesting scar.

Even though Bane didn't gain any cuts and bruises he still had many remaining from earlier fights. Scarlett had told him a million times that he should be more careful, she didn't want to lose him. _And now I am losing him anyway_.

The sudden doubt surprised Scarlett. The escape was everything she had wanted, or was it?

She had cherished every moment she spent with Bane that night, knowing it would be her last, knowing she had to leave him in the morning.

Of course sleeping was impossible that night. Scarlett closed her eyes anyway, maybe eventually she would fall asleep.

* * *

'Bane?' Scarlett asked during breakfast. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. This was the moment, the moment she had to say goodbye.

Scarlett couldn't recall a moment where she had felt more nervous, nervous about how Bane was going to react.

It was unfortunate that she couldn't just tell him the truth. She had to lie to him, make up a story that wasn't even true. But she had promised Bruce she would escape and she couldn't let him down. He had suffered too much already.

Bane looked up from the book he was reading. Scarlett never exactly knew what books he was reading, they were all in some language she didn't understand.

'I have something to tell you' She couldn't bear to look Bane in the eye, knowing what was about to come next. 'I think we should stop this…'

'Stop what?' Bane put down his book on the table aggressively. He wasn't liking this, like Scarlett had expected.

'Us…' Scarlett continued. 'It's not fair to the other girls, I want to be back among them'

The lie she just told was the complete opposite of how she actually felt. She wanted to stay with Bane and now when she was saying goodbye she realized how much she wanted it.

Bane took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing.

'You're demoting yourself?' he replied. Scarlett could see he was hiding how he really felt, like he always did.

She put down her fork with which she was eating. He hadn't even noticed she had taken off her sling…

'If you see this as demoting myself than I doubt we ever felt the same way about each other' she told him sharp.

'You can't do this' he told her.

'I have to' _Even though I don't want to either…_

'I'll move out my stuff later' Well, she didn't really had many things but she couldn't think of anything else to say.

Bane stood up abruptly, the chair falling behind him.

'I protected you' he said. 'I let you in, I _trusted_ you'

Like Bane had broken Batman, Scarlett had broken him.

'I'm sorry…' Scarlett apologized. If he only knew how terrible she felt about this.

_I have to do this,_ Scarlett told herself. _I have to return to my former life, return to Bruce. I have changed and I need to change back and I can't do that when I'm with Bane._

She wasn't sure which lie was bigger, the one she told Bane or the one she told herself.

'Don't be sorry' Bane said before slamming the door behind him.

There was nothing more Scarlett wanted to do than sob. She wanted to cry and stay here, stay until the evening and tell Bane what she told him wasn't true.

But Bruce was waiting for her and Scarlett had to act quickly. There was no time for emotions, only time for the escape.

* * *

'Where are we going?' Alex asked Scarlett.

She had picked up Alex at her cell like she would do almost every day, but this time they didn't went back to the offices. They had to pick up the clothing.

'Do you really want to know?' Scarlett said while trying to remember where they stocked up the clothing again.

Alex nodded.

'Home'

She didn't seem to understand, but there was no time for explaining.

Scarlett found the room which stocked the clothing faster than she had expected. Luckily for them the door didn't had a lock, because who would steal clothes anyway?

'Put this on'

She threw some clothes in Alex's direction and started undressing herself.

With planning this escape Scarlett had thought of everything, even bringing some elastic hairbands to secure their hair out of the way, besides they had to look a little more manly if they wanted to pull this off.

While trying on the clothes Alex seemed to realize what they were doing.

'Wait' she started. 'Are we escaping?'

Immediately Scarlett shushed her up.

'Be quiet'

* * *

The escape from the main cell blocks into the garage went surprisingly smooth. They passed no one and no alarm had went off. So far so good.

Now the second hardest part of the escape, the car. Scarlett couldn't find any keys in the office. The cars were either all unlocked or they kept the keys somewhere else.

Like she had expected the cars were all locked. Now it was getting interesting.

While Alex guarded the area, looking out for anyone arriving in the garage, Scarlett tried to unlock the car.

There was no way to get inside apart from breaking the window. The cars were all old, except for the vans and the large tank like vehicles, so breaking it shouldn't be too hard. Unfortunately breaking glass would make a lot of noise, something they wanted to avoid.

'Scarlett' Alex suddenly said while Scarlett was trying to find something to break the window with.

She sounded like she was in panic, which could only mean one thing – someone was approaching.

They had to hide behind the car, avoiding being seen. Scarlett quickly grabbed a tool out of a tool box she had opened. She wanted to break the window with it and for their safety it was better to bring it along.

Gesturing that Alex should also come, Scarlett hid behind the hood of the car.

The tool could serve as a weapon, but also as an excuse. If they were caught they could say they were servicing the car, not very convincing without the hood open, but it could work.

As luck would have it, the car drove past them.

Both Scarlett and Alex sighed from relief. They decided to stay behind the car for another minute, making sure the car was really gone. If they were caught now they would both be dead, Bane wasn't going to protect her anymore, not after this morning.

The thought of Bane saddened Scarlett. It wasn't too late to turn back… She could return to the offices and pretend like this never happened…

Quickly she pushed the thought away and broke the glass of the car, trying to make as little noise as possible.

_Now there was no way they could turn back, they had to continue their escape._

Alex knew how to get the car started without the keys and Scarlett decided that she could drive.

The passenger seat was loaded with junk, Scarlett moved it all on the backseat. Maybe there was something among that which could be of help in the future. Besides, they didn't want to leave any traces behind.

Although Scarlett was pretty sure there were cameras everywhere which recorded every inch of their escape, but that didn't really matter anymore. The end of the garage was insight and before Scarlett knew it she and Alex had escaped. There was no turning back.

They were free of their captives, free of this miserable prison, free of Bane and Scarlett wasn't sure how she felt about that. The freedom she had longed for didn't feel like she had expected it to feel.


	13. Chapter 13

Not my best chapter, I know. I guess there will probably around 2 or 3 more chapters before I finish this story. There might be a sequel, that depends on the ending. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter even though that it sucks, lol. Hopefully I'll see you next time 3

* * *

When the prison was far out of sight, Scarlett moved over to the backseat. There had to be something in that pile of junk that could be of use. Of course she and Alex couldn't go back to her apartment, if Bane was going to look for her that would be the first place he would check. Wayne Manor would be relatively safe and Alfred was there too, hopefully.

However it was probably a good idea to call Alfred before they arrived out of the blue and luckily the pile of junk contained an old cell phone. _I hope this isn't traced in some way._ Scarlett dialed the number of Wayne Manor, hoping that Alfred would pick up quickly.

Scarlett wondered how Bane would take the news. Take the news that she had escaped. She hoped that it wouldn't affect him too much but it was too late to return anyway. Worrying about Bane didn't matter at this point, she had to worry about Bruce now.

'Alfred?' Scarlett asked with relief.

'Yes, who is this?'

'It's Scarlett, we need your help. Bruce needs your help' Scarlett began. 'Is Wayne Manor safe, can we come?'

'Bloody hell Scarlett, we all thought you were dead! But please come, I'll make sure everything is ready'

'I'll tell you everything when we arrive' Scarlett said before hanging up.

* * *

'It's even bigger than I imagined' Alex said when they pulled up the driveway. As always the manor left behind an imposing impression. Scarlett could already see Alfred waiting on the steps.

'Imagine what it is like to clean the whole thing' Scarlett replied.

Scarlett had made sure that they weren't followed on their way. Hopefully they did not see the link between Bruce's escape and theirs.

'It's good to see you, Scarlett' Alfred smiled when they got out of the car.

She couldn't help herself, but she had to hug Alfred. He was the first step back to her normal life.

'Bruce is fine' Scarlett said before Alfred even asked.

'I'll make some pancakes then'

Scarlett never liked the sound of that better.

* * *

The wait for Bruce to return to Wayne Manor was killing her. There had been no sign of him nor Bane. Somehow she would've loved it if Bane came searching for her, but she did understand that he had to complete his master plan, whatever it was.

Meanwhile Alex and Scarlett were always busy. They had prepared Bruce's Batman suit in the Batcave underneath the Manor. Scarlett never even knew it was there, but apparently Bruce didn't either, he had found it by accident.

Scarlett had to tell Alex that Bruce was Batman to avoid confusion later. She also had to tell Alfred how she found out about Batman, a story not worth repeating. It was hard trying to get the images of a broken Bruce out of her head.

When Scarlett turned on the TV she found out what really happened to Gotham. In fact, she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw it. She saw Bane. Bane was a terrorist of some sorts? She knew he had some business which wasn't exactly legal but she had never expected that he actually wanted to destroy Gotham. Scarlett now knew she had made the right decision leaving, Bane was nothing but trouble.

The recent events made Scarlett angrier, Bruce needed to return. He needed to save Gotham, even though Scarlett didn't want him to risk his life.

'Shouldn't we get out of here in case the bomb goes off?' Scarlett asked Alfred.

'Bruce will be back in time' Alfred reassured her.

_He better be._

Alfred had told Scarlett he had moved back to Wayne Manor after Bruce went missing. Scarlett didn't exactly knew why he moved out in the first place, but she felt like it wasn't her business.

* * *

After four days Scarlett began giving up hope. He would surely have gotten out by now?

The television was on day and night, catching everything that was happening in central Gotham. Scarlett was glad she wasn't there right now, the living conditions seemed even worse than they were in the prison.

Shots of Bane came by every once in a while. It was hard for Scarlett to watch them. She still felt such mixed feelings about him. Scarlett still found it hard to believe that Bane was a terrorist. She knew there was anger inside of Bane, but she never expected that there would be so much. The important part was that she knew that there was also good inside him. _But it didn't matter anymore, I'm not with him anymore, I'm with Bruce now._

As Scarlett turned away from the TV something caught her eye. The carpet on the floor had shifted in position. It was only a tiny change, but large enough for Scarlett to notice it. During her time in the prison she had really started to learn to pay attention to detail.

Her eyes scanned to room, but apart from the carpet nothing was out of place.

'I told you I'd be back in time' a voice said.

She gasped out of surprise.

_Bruce._

Scarlett turned around to the sound of the voice. Bruce was standing behind her. How he had gotten there, no one knew.

He had shaven off his shaggy beard and wore a simple jeans and a grey top.

_I knew he could do it._

Without hesitation Scarlett threw her arms around him. After all this time she was finally able to hug him properly.

'Thank god' she whispered more to herself than to Bruce.

The TV was still playing in the background, the sound of guns and screaming filling the room.

'I have to go to the city' he whispered back.

'No, please' Scarlett said, before giving him a kiss.

She wasn't able to kiss Bane because of his mask, and she had forgotten how damn good it felt.

'You know I have to'

He was right, the Batman had to return.

'Let me come with you' Scarlett asked.

'No' Bruce said, determined.

'I know Bane, I can help you'

She could be of use. She had spend a lot of time with Bane, she had learned a lot about him during her time in the prison.

'I can try to convince him to stop this madness' she continued. 'I know his weaknesses'

That wasn't entirely true. She knew thought she knew a lot about him, but Bane never shared his pains and struggles, but Bruce didn't know that. Scarlett didn't want him to go fight Bane by himself.

'Okay' Bruce nodded.

'Okay?' Scarlett asked in disbelief.

And then they kissed again, knowing it might be their last.


	14. Chapter 14

So, I decided to change the ending of the film a bit. There won't be any Catwoman, it was hard to fit her into the story. Also this chapter is the first part of the 'finale' there will be two or three parts. Enjoy reading and review!

* * *

Even though the island where downtown Gotham was situated was closed off, Bruce had found a way to enter the island. The army was guarding the only bridge left to leave the island, making sure no one would get off. It was said that one of the civilians held the trigger of the bomb, so everyone had to stay on the island in order to keep the bomb from detonating.

The presence of a nuclear bomb made Scarlett nervous. If bomb went off and they wouldn't be killed by the blast, they would for sure get killed by the radiation.

It was still hard to believe that Bane was threatening Gotham with a bomb. This wasn't the man Scarlett thought she knew.

Bruce had agreed to let Scarlett come along, but instead of letting her fighting by his side, he told her to stay inside of a building. He given her a microphone and a earpiece, so that they could communicate.

The building was supposedly safe. Well, as long you stayed off the street almost every building was safe, until the bomb would go off.

It was nerve wrecking to leave Bruce again. Even though they could communicate, Scarlett couldn't see him. Luckily for her, Bruce's microphone was well developed and she could hear every sound, even him breathing and his footsteps on the ground.

Policemen ran up and down the house, planning to find the car which was holding the bomb. There were probably less than 50 policemen left, the rest all stuck under the ground.

'You sure you are okay?' Detective Blake said before leaving with the rest of the policemen. He had a plan to safe all the other policemen who were stuck in the sewers.

Blake was one of the first men to approach her when Bruce brought her to the house. Scarlett liked him, he seemed optimistic about the situation and had been nothing but nice to her.

Alex was still at Wayne Manor with Alfred. Scarlett was wondering how she was holding up, hopefully better than herself.

Scarlett had turned on the television, at least she now had some visual of what was happening. Once Batman would arrive in Gotham she was sure all cameras would be on him.

Bruce didn't really talk to Scarlett but she could hear his footsteps and the sound of his flowing cape.

She started mentally preparing herself that either Bane of Bruce was going to die today. And even though she had already pretty much lost Bane, she didn't want him to die. Even after the nuclear bomb, Bane was still in her heart, and he would always be.

And there it was, the moment Scarlett had been waiting for, the moment she had been dreading.

'So you came back to die with your city?'

There was no visual on the television, but Scarlett knew exactly what was happening.

Bruce had found Bane.

'No' Scarlett heard Bruce reply in his Batman voice.

'I came back to stop you'

The sound of fighting filled Scarlett's earpiece. And it wasn't only Bane and Batman that were fighting each other, it was everyone around them.

There was still no visual of either Bane or Batman. Scarlett figured that all the reporters and cameramen were all too afraid to film this 'war' that was going on. _And I can't blame them._

At first the only sound Scarlett could hear was Bruce's struggle to fight Bane. After years of being able to overpower anyone, he had found someone who was as strong, if not stronger than he was.

But after minutes of fighting (which felt like hours) Scarlett heard an unsettling sound. Suddenly Bane was struggling, and by the sound Scarlett guessed this was because of his mask.

Her heart dropped. She knew that Bane couldn't take off his mask because of the pain. Bruce had found his weak spot. He had broken Bane's mask, filling him with agonizing pain.

_I should be happy_ Scarlett thought. _Bruce is winning, this is what I wanted._

By the sound of it Bane was still struggling to repair his mask. And then there was a sound of breaking glass. _What was happening?_ It was hard to envision what exactly Bruce and Bane were doing.

'Cover the doors' Scarlett could suddenly hear Bruce saying.

Did this mean he had defeated Bane? And who was he talking to?

'WHERE IS THE TRIGGER' Bruce shouted.

Scarlett could hear the panic in his voice, and to be honest she was panicking herself. She couldn't let him kill Bane. Even after what he did he didn't deserved to be killed.

Pulling the earpiece out of her ear, Scarlett ran out the door. She had to stop this madness.

Before Blake had left he had given Scarlett a gun. 'Just in case' he had told her and she was so glad he had given it to her. Scarlett knew she wasn't going to shoot Bruce in order to save Bane, but she would shoot anyone else who stood in her path.

To be honest Scarlett didn't know where Bruce was. She started following the sounds of men fighting, which were overwhelming in a deserted city.

The empty streets where frightening. There was a reason why nobody was out on the street.

Ignoring the fear, she ran and she ran until she found the huge crowd.

Scarlett remembered the breaking of glass. She looked around herself to see if she could see a shattered window or door. People where bumping into her, but to her surprise they weren't fighting her.

Then she saw it, a large doorway which was once filled with glass, on the top of some marble stairs. As fast as she could she ran towards it, almost falling when climbing the stairs. _Still as clumsy as ever._

Before she entered the building she stopped running, suddenly being very cautious to not make any noise. When she looked inside she saw a woman, Bruce and Bane. The woman was probably to one who Bruce was talking to, but why exactly was she pointing a gun at Bruce?

Scarlett's eyes shifted around the room. Bane was still lying in the ground, in excruciating pain. Opposite of Bane stood, Bruce who was being kept under shot by the woman who was moving closer to Bane.

It was hard to hear what they were saying but Scarlett decided to not waste any time.

Softly she moved across the room, trying not to stand on the glass which was scattered around the floor.

Then she saw it.

The woman was holding a trigger, she was holding _the _trigger.

Without a doubt she fired her weapon. The bullet soaring through the woman's body.

But she was too late as the woman had turned around just before Scarlett fired her weapon. She had already pressed the trigger. Still the woman fell down, still clutching the trigger. Blood was flowing out of the wound in her chest.

For a moment Bruce watched the woman's body motionlessly.

'Go!' Scarlett urged. There was no time to waste.

'You have to save Gotham'

Bruce nodded and turned to Scarlett.

'You have to get out of here' he said in his normal voice. 'The bomb will go off in less than 10 minutes, leave Gotham while you still have the chance'

He handed her a set of keys. The keys from the Tumblr.

_Of course, she could jump across one of the bridges._

'Be careful' Scarlett replied to Bruce, but he had already disappeared.


	15. Chapter 15

The final chapter! I deliberately left the story open ended. I like it when the reader can fill in some of the gaps themselves and it also leaves a possibility for a sequel. Thank you all so much for sticking with me with this story and I hope you have enjoyed reading it!

* * *

Scarlett reached Bane before any of his men could. As gentle as she could she tried fixing his mask, but her hands were shaky and frankly she had no idea what to do.

She could feel tears rolling down her cheek. 'I'm sorry' she told Bane.

And she genuinely was sorry. She was sorry for leaving him, for betraying him. But it was too late to turn back time. Too late to take back her actions.

Finally after what seemed like hours Scarlett managed to fix Bane's mask as best as she could, but Bane was numb from the pain he had been feeling.

'I'm sorry' Scarlett told him again.

'I know' Bane spoke softly, his voice distorted by the broken mask. The two words seemed to draw all the energy he had out of him.

Suddenly, two rough hands gripped her upper arms from behind, and pulled her away from Bane. Bane's men led her away from him and they basically threw her out on the steps, as if she was garbage. In some ways she felt like garbage. _I have betrayed everyone I loved._

While she fell on the stairs she badly scraped her knee, although no pain could compare to the pain she was feeling inside. Scarlett pulled herself up, trying to look what was going on. She could see Bane being quickly carried away by his men. God knew where they were taking him, and God knew if Scarlett was ever going to see him again.

The fighting around her had stopped. The policemen had taken over the city from Bane's men – who were mostly criminals and mercenaries.

'Are you alright, ma'am?' A policeman asked her.

She didn't reply. Scarlett didn't know what to reply. Physically she was ok, but pieces inside of her were broken.

Not only had she lost Bane, but she probably had lost Bruce as well. The bomb was programmed to detonated within minutes, how was Bruce going to dismantle the bomb without sacrificing himself? There was just too little time.

The policeman had taken to her to a hospital anyway, but she was released after a few hours. They checked up some blood and bandaged the scrapes on her knee. The doctor had also disinfected her bullet wound, which Scarlett had almost forgotten about.

The bullet wound was the only thing that remembered her to Bane. The only thing she had left that connected to him. Scarlett would never know if he had survived, if he was taken into custody. She could visit him in prison, but they would never put him in a prison in a city he tried to destroy. Hell, he'd probably get the death sentence because of his actions.

Still Scarlett couldn't believe he genuinely wanted to blow up Gotham. She didn't understand his motives, actually his motives were never explained to her and she would never find out. There were so many questions left unanswered.

When Scarlett swung open the hospital doors, a loud explosion sounded, followed by a large mushroom-shaped cloud.

_That was it_.

Softly Scarlett slid down on the floor, unaware of the people running past her and bumping into her.

_They were both death._

She didn't had the energy to cry anymore. She wanted to sleep and forget everything. But she couldn't. She had to live on, for the sake of Bruce and Bane. They had not died for nothing.

* * *

As expected Scarlett's apartment had been looted and trashed completely. Every little thing she owned was gone, except for the larger furniture which had been hard to take with them.

Motionlessly she started into her empty apartment. _It's as empty as my heart is_.

Then from the corner of her eyes she noticed something on the kitchen table. She moved inside the other room, finding that it was just as empty as the others. The letter had her name on it, but she didn't dare opening it. _How did it come here?_ She thought. This must be some sort of hoax. Her time in the prison had made her very paranoid. Scarlett tucked the letter in her back pocket and walked out of her apartment. She would look at it later.

All over the street people were celebrating. Celebrating the return of _their_ city. Scarlett was definitely the odd one out, not having any joy inside of her.

She took a taxi to downtown Gotham, not being bothered about paying the guy, she stepped out of the cab and rushed down to Wayne Tower.

'Hey!' the taxi driver yelled after her. 'You didn't pay!'

Scarlett ignored him and continued walking.

Large LCD's screen were being put up on the side of Wayne Manor, broadcasting a special about 'Bruce Wayne's surprising death'

Of course the people of Gotham didn't know Bruce died by saving his city. No one but a handful of people knew Bruce was Batman. There wasn't anyone who had made the connection between Bruce's sudden death and Batman's sudden disappearance.

Seeing 'Bruce Wayne's surprising death' all over the large screens made it official. He had died, just like Bane probably had died. Scarlett was all alone now.

Scarlett hadn't talked to Alfred. She felt it was too hard for herself and probably for him too. The pain she was feeling must been worse for him, having basically raised Bruce.

The broadcast made Bruce's death official, whereas Bane's death was uncertain. For all Scarlett knew he could be alive and well, already planning a next city to bomb, but he could also be dead.

After hearing the broadcaster tell the same thing over and over Scarlett decided to walk away. She didn't want to return to her apartment. She had to go somewhere else.

But where? She didn't had any money left, or no way to access it. Still she started walking, heading the complete opposite direction of where she came from. Gotham reminded her of things she wanted to forget. The only way for her to continue her life was to get out of here.

Suddenly she remembered the letter she had found in her apartment. She stopped walking and pulled in from her back pocket, opening it immediately.

To her surprise the envelope didn't contain a letter. It contained a boarding pass to Paris and her passport.

_What the hell?_

She checked the backside of the boarding pass, but there was nothing written on it. Then she noticed there was something else inside the envelope, a check with money, worth almost a million dollars.

It seemed as if someone had read her mind. The sender of the envelope was as unclear as whether Bane was alive or not. But this was the perfect opportunity to get way.

Scarlett had never been to Paris, but she had heard nothing but wonderful things about it. She could start a new life there, maybe even a family. She could forget all about Gotham, pretend these few months of her life didn't happen. It was perfect, too perfect, Scarlett thought suspiciously. _But I'd be stupid not to take this opportunity_.

She turned around to take one last look of Gotham City, it would be the last time she would ever see it. And when she started walking, she felt content with herself. There was a new life waiting for her to begin, and she had never been more excited to start living rather than dying.


	16. Uncaged

The sequel has arrived!

Who had send her the money, how has Scarlett adapted to her new life in Paris? Find out in the sequel: 'Uncaged'

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A short preview:

'Un pain de chocolat et un café, s'il vous plaît' Scarlett asked the waiter. Each Saturday she had breakfast at the same cute little café on the corner of the street where she lived. She had never been more in love with a city except for Paris, it seemed as if Gotham had been erased from her memory.


End file.
